when life hands you lemons

I made these really delicious lemon buttermilk bars from this Williams-Sonoma recipe.

It goes like this:

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

Mix the dough and bake the crust
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low, add the 2/3 cup flour and the salt and beat until blended. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan bottom. Bake until the crust is golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Make the filling
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and the remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until blended. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. flour, the lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Pour the filling over the baked crust, spreading evenly.

Bake the filling
Bake until the top of the filling is set and barely browned at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into 8 bars, dust with confectioners’ sugar shaken through a sieve and serve. Makes 8 bars.

ochazuke

I made salmon ochazuke for dinner yesterday.  I've been wanting to make it since I had it at B-Star for lunch back in Dec.

It turns out to be really really easy.

1.  Season (salt & pepper) salmon filets and let it sit in fridge for an hour.
2.  Make steamed rice.
3.  Pan roast extra uncooked rice on stove, in a pan without oil, til rice turns brown and nutty and crunchy.
4.  Bake salmon at 350 for 15 minutes.  I also threw in some asparagus in olive oil.
5.  When salmon is about ready, make some green tea.
6.  When salmon is ready, scoop steamed rice into individual bowls.  Sprinkle in some seaweed seasoning (furikake) you can buy at Asian supermarket.
7.  Add the roasted rice to steamed rice.  I like a lot of this in the rice since I love that crunchy texture.
8.  I would also add a couple of Japanese preserved plums to the rice.  (I didn't have any yesterday.)
9.  Put salmon filet and vegetable and soy sauce/wasabi on top of rice.
10.  Pour in hot tea and enjoy!  (My photo doesn't show the tea cuz I forgot to take picture after I poured in tea.)

Oh the B-Star version also had a poached egg, which I forgot about.  I will be sure to add the preserved plum and egg next time.

life on mars

Things that happened since I last posted:

-  I stopped liking the Patriots.  They had Tom Brady restructure his contract to give them more salary cap room, only to then screw him by letting his BFF/favorite receiver Wes Welker (my 2nd favorite Pat) go into free agency.  And where does Welker end up after the Pats made him a less-than-sincere offer?  To the Broncos, where Peyton Manning is.  Argh, football - it's dirty business. I am so over it.

-  My house got burglarized.  Somebody somehow got into the front gate, went into the garage, and stole a bike.  I was home the entire time.  We immediately changed the front gate lock to a dead bolt.

-  Veronica Mars movie is getting made!!!!  It's funded as a Kickstarter project.  They met their $2M goal in less than a day.  I pitched in my share.  Coincidentally that's what I've been watching with Chi Young on dvd these days.  We are in the middle of season two.  I love Veronica Mars so much.  Smart, sassy, funny, pretty, resourceful - what's there not to like?  I think they need more girl characters like this on tv and in the movies.  I cannot believe there is a second life to the show whose cancellation I still mourn.  There is some online debate about whether having fans fund a studio movie is a bad practice, or that people should be donating to more worthwhile causes.  But guess what?  I don't care.  Sometimes you just love what you love.  If I have to throw in a few bucks to get to revisit with Veronica Mars and her dear old dad, I'll throw in a few bucks.  It's just like Catholics who donate to the church so that there is enough money to pay off all the child molestation charges.  It's your religion - don't question it too much.

-  Speaking of which, there is a new Pope in town, and his name is Francis.  He's from Argentina.  Like Evita.  That's what I think about when I hear Argentina.  That and tango.

-  It was the 2nd anniversary of the northern Japan earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster.  Don't forget things just because it's not on the front page.

-  Sherlock S3 and S4 are happening!  Oh yeah!

-  I think my abdominal area is getting better.  The left side doesn't hurt as much anymore.  The right side did start hurting but that's not constant either.  There is light at the end of tunnel, which is good because otherwise it's not really a tunnel - it would be a dead end.

-  The Bay Bridge lights project went live.  I haven't had a chance to go down to see it yet.  But I have two years, so it's no rush.

into summer

Only a couple more months til Star Trek Into Darkness.  It's my most anticipated movie of the summer (unless Before Midnight comes out this summer).

This is the newest trailer: