Yikes! Where has my morning gone?! It’s only 11:30 and I need a NAP! Last night was a very busy night in school. I decorated two cakes, each of which were very fussy and took awhile to put together. The first, which is the tall layer cake is called a Dobos Torte and consists of 7 layers of almond sponge cake with 6 layers of chocolate buttercream. On the top it is decorated with cake slices that were drizzled with caramel. It’s a very fussy, over the top cake! The short thin cake is called a Brasilia. It is 3 thin layers of hazelnut sponge with chocolate buttercream and decorated with nougatine, which is basically the same thing as peanut brittle—but it uses almonds. About the nougatine……ummm yeah, I stuffed my face. This stuff was SOOO addicting!! It’s just a combination of sugar, water, glucose and almonds—brought up to a caramel state and then poured out and cooled. If you like peanut brittle, you would like this. At the end of the night I felt a little sick from all the sugar I consumed, but it was so good!
I got home rather late last night then hung out with my roommate awhile so I didn’t get to bed before 1:00. Then…I woke up at 7:00 so I could get to the farmer’s market and run errands. I had some quick toast with almond butter, jam and banana before I went. I found lots of great produce at the market, including peaches, which I haven’t had yet this season and are so cute, sweet and small! After the market, I ran some errands and went to Whole Foods where I got some other stuff that I needed aside from produce. You seriously save so much $$ by shopping at the farmer’s market. I only spent about 10 dollars there and got ALL that produce you see in the photo. Amazing!
I made an early lunch after I got home. I found “fakin bacon” at the store today and was super excited because I’ve been wanting to try this for awhile now! I heated up two strips (in a cast iron skillet sprayed with cooking spray) and made a sandwich with about 1.5 tbsp hummus, the “bacon”, and some spinach. I had two of the small peaches as well. YUM! This was a fantastic combo! I really really enjoyed this sandwich and will definitely be making more of these to come. The flavor profile was killer.
Okay…I’m going to take a nap now! I think I going out to dinner with a few people from my class tonight before school. We are going out for Indian food, which I have never done before and have no idea what to order. Any suggestions???!!
Kaite
May 15, 2008 at 3:41 pmDefinitely try vegetable dhansak, it is a lentil dish with veggies and a touch of coconut milk. They serve it over jasmine rice, yum;)
V
May 15, 2008 at 3:44 pmIf you’ve got a big appetite tonight and the restaurant offers it, order a Vegetarian Thali—it includes a small portion of 5–6 different dishes, usually served with different chutneys, rice and Indian bread. SO good and an easy way to see what dishes you like!
Romina
May 15, 2008 at 3:45 pmYum!! That nougatine looks sooooooo good!!
Gale
May 15, 2008 at 3:47 pmI love Indian Food! I would suggest anything Tandoori, but I am not sure if they have a vegetarian option (usually I get Tandoori Chicken). Also, the Naan should be delicious! It’s like pita bread but about a hundred times more delicious. Enjoy!
Kelly
May 15, 2008 at 3:51 pmYour desserts look beautiful. I LOVE indian food. My favorite dishes are Saag Paneer and Vegetable Korma but I know Saag Paneer has cheese in it and am fairly certain Korma has cream. However I will say my neighborhood restaurant is really good at indicating when something comes in a cream vs. tomato based sauce so I would ask what on the menu is vegan. I love it all. I am such a Indian food addict. One of my favorite things to do is try Indian lunch buffets because it pushes me to sample more things. I have come up with new favorites that way. For dessert I also LOVE Kheer, it’s rice cooked in sweetened milk, raisins, and almonds. Again, it relies on dairy but I don’t see why one couldn’t replicate it at home with non-dairy milk. Have fun and let us know what you order.
jenna
May 15, 2008 at 3:57 pmok here’s a link to the menu! What should I order??!! http://www.passagetoindiarestaurant-orlando.com/menu.html
amber
May 15, 2008 at 4:05 pmindian food is delicious! try chana masala (spiced chickpeas). so good and healthy!
Betsy
May 15, 2008 at 4:06 pmholy crap-those cakes. hazelnut and chocolate???? i would have eaten the entire think right there.
i love chana masala. always good. and naan!!! i always love naan with dried fruit.
BethT
May 15, 2008 at 4:12 pmMy personal favorite is anything in a korma sauce. If they have navrattan korma, that includes paneer (the indian cheese stuff – I know you’re not into dairy much but this is great, sorta like soft tofu and worth a try), assorted veggies, dried fruits and nuts in a creamy sauce. To die for.
BethT
May 15, 2008 at 4:13 pmOh I just saw you posted the menu link…they DO have navrattan korma! 🙂
Serena
May 15, 2008 at 4:15 pmYum, I know what I’d order – Palak Sabji Dal : spinach, eggplant, lentils, how could you go wrong?! I also love Saag Aloo – spinach w/ potatoes. And definitely basmati rice and garlic naan. I also love cucumber raita to cool off the heat from Indian food – it’s a super fresh dip with plain yogurt and cucumbers, but it seems like you’re really trying to stay away from dairy completely these days, so that might not be as appealing to you.
Bree
May 15, 2008 at 4:22 pmSome of my classic favorites are Bhaigan Bharta (love eggplant) and Chana Masala. The Palak Sabji Dal looks good too! Definitely order naan, so yummy (some places may use butter on it in the end – so you should check).
Enjoy!
Anne P
May 15, 2008 at 4:24 pmyou should get a bunch of the vegetarian stuff and all share! i went to indian last night and we did that, that way everyone gets to taste the awesome stuff… although i got a lamb dish as well which was fabulous 🙂
VeggieGirl
May 15, 2008 at 4:24 pmBetween the Basilia and the Dobos Torte, my mouth is watering like crazy, haha – IMPECCABLE DESSERTS!!! Well done, girl!!
Love your farmer’s market bounty – nothing beats fresh, local produce!
Take a nap, and enjoy the rest of your Thursday!
**I vote for the “Dal Makhni” dish, for your dinner!!!! :0)
Anne P
May 15, 2008 at 4:24 pmChana Masala Punjabi Chickpeas delicately tempered and subtly seasoned with fresh ground spices. $12.95
Dal Makhni Black lentils and red beans sauteed with onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and flavored with fenegreek leaves. $12.95
Vegetable Chilly Fry Fresh vegetables sauteed with green chili peppers, herbs and spices. $14.95
Palak Sabji Dal Spinach, eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower and tomatoes cooked with lentils, herbs and spices.
those all sound awesome, and of course get naan to eat it all with!
andrenna
May 15, 2008 at 4:26 pmTry the Masala Dal. The lentils are so good, and I think it’s even vegan.
I made a homeade version of lara bars yesterday. It was so easy and they turned out rather delicious. You should give it a try sometime. I found it on this blog.
http://bunnyfoot.blogspot.com/2006/02/homemade-lara-type-bars.html
VTgirl
May 15, 2008 at 4:42 pmo-m-g your cakes look soooooooo prettyyyy!!!!!!! you are very talented!!!! i’ve never tried fake bacon but i’ve always wanted to.
Kelly
May 15, 2008 at 4:52 pmEveryone has such great suggestions. I also LOVE samosas. So good and a great thing to order for the table. Have fun. Yum!
arimcg
May 15, 2008 at 5:08 pmSamosas FOR SURE.
Heather
May 15, 2008 at 5:25 pmMore beautiful cakes! Those look delicious. The hazelnut + chocolate buttercream sound amazing.
Have fun at the Indian restaurant! I’d go with the Palik Sabji dal… and naan of course. The Vegetable Biryani sounds good too.
Nadia
May 15, 2008 at 5:40 pmI would get the Bombay Aloo or the Baingan (eggplant) with garlic naan 😛
Becca A
May 15, 2008 at 5:43 pmThe cakes look gorgeous! I especially love the dobos torte with all the fancy cake slices! Definitely take a nap today, you deserve it!
Haha, I’m having Indian food tonight as well, but I made it…I can’t wait to try it! Hope your dinner is excellent!
Molly
May 15, 2008 at 6:18 pmYou cakes look like art! amazing 🙂
erica
May 15, 2008 at 7:19 pmThose cakes are absolutely incredible.. you’re so talented!!
I’m so jealous of your indian dinner tonight.. I’m obsessed with indian food! I’d go for the Dal Makhni. 🙂
BTW jenna, is that the rudi’s honey sweet whole wheat bread?
jenna
May 15, 2008 at 7:31 pmYes it is!
Allyson
May 15, 2008 at 8:24 pmI wouldn’t have been able to resist that cake! Have fun at Indian Food! 🙂
Tina
May 15, 2008 at 8:26 pmThose desserts look ridiculously delicious!
sasha
May 15, 2008 at 8:33 pmLove your blog and your philosophy of food and life! Just have to comment, though, that it seems unlikely that you can get pears at a Florida farmers market right now…. maybe it is a wholesale produce market? Not to be picky, it’s just that the wholesale markets don’t have all the same benefits as farmer’s markets since they don’t sell only local produce. Still fun to shop at them, though, and certainly they have good prices!
Sloan
May 15, 2008 at 9:25 pmMmm…that chicken seitan that you bought is my favorite! If you stirfry it in the sauce it comes in with some veggies and peanut butter, it turns out like an amazing Thai dish. Sooo good.
Kristie
May 15, 2008 at 11:03 pmThose desserts are picture perfect! Wow!
I’ve never done Indian food before either. Always wanted to but I’m afraid of feeling overwhelmed by the menu! Haha, I hope you find something awesome to eat.
Janine
May 15, 2008 at 11:59 pmJenna- in the photo of your groceries there is a package up front that looks like peanut butter flavored something. Can you tell us what that is?
jenna
May 16, 2008 at 3:29 amJanine,
That IS freshly ground PB
~~~Sorry I’ve missed my dinner blog—I just got home from school and it’s about midnight so I will just post dinner (AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG!!!) with photos (tons!!) in the morning!! 🙂 Hope yall don’t mind!
jenna
May 16, 2008 at 3:29 amJanine,
Those are peanut butter filled pretzel bites!!! How delicious does that sound?!
~~~Sorry I’ve missed my dinner blog—I just got home from school and it’s about midnight so I will just post dinner (AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG!!!) with photos (tons!!) in the morning!! 🙂 Hope yall don’t mind!