Cake for August 21 (sat-fat free birthday, that is)

Mix 1 c. roasted almond oil with 2 c. sugar.
Sift together 3 1/2 c. cake flour, 1/2 t. salt, and 2 t. baking powder.
Mix 1 c. milk with 2 t. vanilla.
Mix the flour mixture into the oil/sugar mixture, alternating in thirds with the milk mixture.
Whip 8 egg whites.  Add them to the above mixture.
Cook at 375 in 2 8-inch pans for 30 minutes, checking near the end.

Icing:
Microwave 20 squares of Sharffenberger petite baking squares (or figure 4 squares to an ounce) along with 1 T. roasted almond oil, whisking about every 30 sec for a total of 2 1/2 min. until you can whisk it smooth.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar with 1 T cornstarch and whisk it into the chocolate mixture.
Whisk in 1 c. milk.
Microwave for a total of 3 minutes, whisking it every minute, then every 30 sec near the end.  It will be close to boiling on the last 2 or 3 whisks.
Let it cool and add 1T. vanilla, whisking every few minutes as it cools down.

Tian from two gardens

M gave me squash and eggplant, which I took to be from the roof.  And neighbor Ryan Ahalt gave me tomatoes and an invitation to harvest from his garden while they are on vacation.  He had parsley.  Hence a tian:  roast 1 lb each of eggplant and squash, sliced 1/4" and sprayed with oil, at 375 for 15 min.  Process 1/2 baguette, 2T fresh parsley, 1 1/2 t. fresh thyme,  2 t. oregano, and 4 oz. cheese.  Slice 1 lb. tomatoes.  Layer as follows:  1/2 of the eggplant and 1/2 of the squash, topped by a drizzle of oil and pepper, then 1/2 of the tomatoes topped with 1/2 of the crumb mix.  Then repeat these layers.  Then drizzle on 1/4 c. of vegetable stock. Cook for 1 hour on 375. 
Notice that my garden contributed nothing.  Its glory was two days ago, with that spaghetti squash.  Since then, exactly 5 pole beans and 2 cherry tomatoes.  Ryan doesn't have that much more sun than I, but he does have his garden up against his white garage wall on the north, and maybe that reflects some sun onto his plants.

Faith-based cuisine? A Pie for all.

Brunch for the Senneshes needed to be gluten-free (Joel and Louise), lactose-free (Louise), fat- and bean- and meat-free (Reeves) and sucrose-free (Robin).  Joel offered the notion of faith-based cuisine.  AND Robin wanted to use her garden's second spaghetti squash.  (Reeves by taste, if not by faith, might be in the spaghetti-squash-free camp.)  I made a leek and fennel pie on tortilla shells (using eggbeaters), with parmesan on one side and garden cherry tomatoes and some of my rageddy basil atop the crunchy spaghetti squash.  I cooked the leeks and fennel on the stove, then put them, with eggbeaters, in the tortilla shell, then topped half with parmesan.  Meanwhile I roasted the squash for an hour at 350, then strung it out and placed it atop the filled pie and baked the creation for about 45 min.  I like the crunch.  It's in the middle, below.  I have no idea how to zoom in on it.