New location and Herman, a sourdough starter

Hi! I've merged both of my blogs onto my new site, easbrooke.com. You can still follow Beth's Crafty Things at this site plus Small Travels and Musings and new material. All the archived material is located there, as well. Please go check it out!

The first post for Beth's Crafty Things is about a sourdough starter, called Herman.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My first attempt. Waiting for the moment of truth.

We've been back from a weeklong vacation for about a day and, of course, Chris didn't fail to remind me that there's no dessert in the house. I wanted to make something quick and easy, but I wasn't sure what that should be. I'm not a big fan of cake, but Chris is so I thought I'd make him one.

I found a recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake in my "Betty Crocker's Cookbook" (published 1989) and thought that might be a good way to use up some canned pineapple in the frig. Chris had never had Pineapple Upside Down Cake, but he was game to try it.

The recipe calls for buttermilk baking mix, but I don't keep that on hand. So I subbed 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt for the baking mix. I wasn't sure about the proportions or the substitution, but I thought I'd give it a try. To give the cake a buttermilk flavor, I added a squirt or two of lemon juice to 1/2 cups of milk.

As you can see in the picture above, the bottom of the cake didn't turn out too bad. I baked it for 30 minutes instead of 35.

Here's the cake flipped right side up:

Chris' description: That's the sorriest excuse for a cake ever.

I'm proud of it, but Chris didn't know what to think. His description, "That's the sorriest excuse for a cake ever. I hope it tastes better than it looks." He wanted to know if it was supposed to look that way. And, in case you don't know, it is. :)

He was also hoping it was a cake that requires icing. He likes eating icing and graham crackers. Many times I only making icing for him to eat as dessert. :)

Anyway. Though the cake was falling apart, it was tasty!

Sweet potato burgers

Looking for a healthier burger? I enjoy a bean burger now and again, but haven't ever thought about using other vegetables.

The Chubby Vegetarian shared a recipe for Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger on his blog the other day. His combination of the sweet potato with chipotle peppers, cumin and garlic have my mouth watering. It sounds like an amazing flavor combo! My tasty black bean burgers may have to take a backseat from now on.

The Chubby Vegetarian also mentioned how with an equal amount of oats added to beans, sweet potatoes or squash, you can get a really good mixture that works well as burger patties. I'm now envisioning zucchini or yellow squash patties with tarragon or cilantro. We've still got tons of frozen squash stored in the freezer from last season. This might be a good way to use it up.

What spice combinations do you think would go well with zucchini or squash?

You can find The Chubby Vegetarian's recipe here.

One of my favorite things to do with spinach

This is one of my favorite things to make whenever I need a quick side dish.

A spinach and tomato side dish that I love.

I don't really have a name for it, but love its simplicity and flavor. And you can't beat how quick it is to cook up! It's also great in wraps.

Though I change some of the ingredients each time I make this, four things are always in there: spinach, tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. Sometimes I'll add in mushrooms and onions. Sesame seeds and pepper have made appearances. But those four ingredients are a must.

This go 'round, I threw in some left over rice, onions, tomato paste and some dried sweet basil:

Tonight's rendition features rice, onion, tomato paste and basil along with the main four: spinach, tomatoes, olive oil and garlic.

After a bit of warming and wilting on the stove top, the spinach-tomato side dish was ready for plating. I paired it with oven-fried chicken and baked potato.

Spinach-Tomato Side Dish

1-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 handfuls of spinach leaves
16 oz. can of diced tomatoes or 2-3 large tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
Optional: onions, mushrooms, sesame seeds, spices and anything else you may want to throw in

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic for 1 minute. If using onions, add them and sauté with the garlic.
2. Add tomatoes and cook until heated through. At this point, also add any additional vegetables and spices.
3. Add spinach and cook until leaves are slightly wilted.

Enjoy!