Yellow for Bri

This is my entry for this month’s Click special event is - Click Yellow for Bri!
Briana Brownlow is about my age, and reading about her struggle with breast cancer so young, and learning that at a very young age of 15 she has lost her mother to the disease, has saddened me deeply. You are in my prayers Bri!

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.
Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.
She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.
The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.
CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri
Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.
The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.
The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.
There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.
Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.
This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.
You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

GET WELL SOON DEAR BRI. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.
Pineapple (fruit) Torte

For the cake:
7 eggs
7 tbsp of sugar
5 tbsp of flour
10 tbsp ground walnuts
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 395 F. Mix egg whites with sugar until stiff. Add yolks, walnuts, flour with baking powder. Bake in a round spring form pan, for about 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool down, and then cut into two layers. Sprinkle cake layers (generously) with juice from the pineapple can. Spread about half the cream, then fruit, then cream again. Leave some cream for the outside of the cake. Optionally, spread whipped cream all around, and decorate as you wish.

Cream:
3 eggs
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 ¼ cups milk
6 tsp vanilla sugar
1 ½ sticks butter or margarine, unsalted
1 can of sliced pineapple or fresh pineapple slices, or some other fruit, can be just cut up fruit, anything works : )

To make the cream:
Mix eggs with sugar, add corn starch and flour, and add to boiling milk. Reduce heat, and mix well until thickens. Cool completely down, then mix in butter or margarine cut up into slices. Mix until nice and creamy.

Six word memoir

I got tagged for this one some time ago by Farida from Farida’s Azerbaijani Cookbook, but couldn’t get to it, and then I forgot all about it. I should add forgetful, in the list below : )))
Now I got tagged again, by Chriesi of Almond Corner, and I thought I must find time to do it, so here it is ladies, me in six words:

Honest
Artistic
Perfectionist
Impulsive
Kind
Restless (Sagittarius:)

I am very just, and honest, and it is hard for me to live in the world today where there is not much justice…

I am restless; yes, I love being home, cooking, baking, all that, but when the nice weather is here, the highway is calling me, and I love to travel, and get away!

I'm a perfectionist, but not extreme kind. As much as I can be with 2 kids and a big baby husband! I do love organizing, and constantly changing stuff around the house, never pleased with one display/layout for a long time. Constantly changing!

Very impulsive, which is sometimes good, but most of the times makes me jump to conclusions…
OK, this was supposed to be a “6” word memoir!!!!! Sorry! Have a fun day!

Now, I am supposed to tag 6 fellow food bloggers, and the lucky 6 are:

Marija from Palachinka
Cathy from Noble Pig
Susan from Food Blogga
Antonio from Olive Juice
Familia Bencomo from Familia Bencomo
Kate from Aaplemint

If you have already been tagged, do excuse me, I cannot go through so many pages, and check, and if you have done it, maybe just provide a link, if you want to, no biggie, so you need not do it again, but we (me) still get to read... :)

Rainbow Trout - Potato Pancakes - Summer Feta Salad

Quick, and easy summer Sunday dinner. For fish, sometimes I use regular flour, sometimes cornmeal; I guess in the moment it depends on which one is closer.

Rainbow trout

If I do cornmeal, I use:
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tsp paprika
1 Tsp black pepper

Cut, and salt the fish to taste. Coat in cornmeal mixture, and fry on medium heat for few minutes on each side, or until desired doneness. Transfer onto paper towel, and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Italian style potato pancakes
(adapted from Gemma’ homestyle Italian cooking, November 2002 issue)

3 medium/large potatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1egg, slightly beaten
Salt to taste
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
A handful of parsley, finely chopped up
½ cup canola oil for frying

Cook potatoes, and mash them, Add the egg, corn, and some salt, and mix well.
Add parsley to breadcrumbs (optional, but I like it). Now, spoon out some mixture into the crumbs, and coat well, take it with your hands, and fry few at a time, over medium heat.
Flatten them, as they fry, but let fry 2 minutes before turning, and turn very carefully, to retain the shape. Fry 2 minutes on other side, and as they are done, transfer onto baking sheet, into the oven (200F) to keep warm, until they are all done.

Summer Feta Salad

Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Onions
Cucumbers ( I didn’t have any, works fine without them)
Feta cheese, crumbled
Some salt, and black pepper
Oil, and vinegar

Cut up the veggies into small cubes, about equal amount of each, salt to taste. Sprinkle with black pepper, oil, and vinegar, all to taste. Top with crumbled feta cheese. No kissing after this, but Yum!!!!!!

Asparagus cheese bake

One of the first things I baked, when I was about maybe 10 years old, was an oven baked French omelet from an old cookbook. It included flour, 1 tablespoon for each egg, and same amount of sugar. That was easy for starters, and I would make it for my brothers, and I can never forget how happy that made me! I have served it with our homemade jams.

Now, my husband likes asparagus with eggs ( and I grew up on asparagus), and I thought why not make savory bake with cheese too? Normally I just cook asparagus, and serve them as a salad/side sort of thing with hard-boiled eggs, or grilled, so it’s about time to give it a try with some other method.

So many recipes out there, but I thought of my easy omelet, and thought to make it like that, savory of course, and burden it with cheese.
Well, I have presented you with how great it looks, here is the recipe should you decide to give it a try, it is nothing special, and every bit yummy!: )

Asparagus cheese bake

½ lb asparagus approx. (1 bunch)
Butter to grease the baking dish
2 eggs
2 tbsp of flour
¼ Tsp baking powder
Salt to taste
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese ( or other kind)

Boil asparagus till just slightly tender, do not overcook. Drain. Preheat oven to 425 F.
Lightly grease the baking dish (small casserole kind) with butter.



Mix egg whites until stiff, then add yolks, and then flour, one by one tablespoon, some salt, and baking powder. Arrange asparagus any way you like in the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture in. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake until cheese melts. Enjoy! Simple, and yummy, just the way I like it!