Interview Questions from Paige + Cake

Have you ever known someone with the same birthday as you? I haven't met her personally, but Paige from Chef-girl.net shares my birthday - May 15. I replied to her post about interview questions, and she sent me 5 questions to answer.

1. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
I love to try new foods. Whenever I was in Scotland, my friends and I stopped at an Australian bar. I ordered a kangaroo burger while one of my friends ordered a springbok burger. Surprisingly, both were very tasty. The kangaroo burger was very lean, and I think I read on the menu it's healthier than a beef burger.

2. What ingredients do you always like to have on hand?
As far as baking goes, I always have a bag of chocolate chips plus the basics - baking soda/powder, shortening, sugar, flour, etc. As far as cooking goes, spices are essential - basil, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, etc. I try to have some sort of veggie with dinner, whether it's frozen, canned, or fresh.

3. If you opened a restaurant, what would you call it, and what would you serve?
This is a tough one. I have ideas for a bakery but not a restaurant. Since I'm 50% Italian, I would probably have an Italian restaurant. As far as the name goes, I can't think of one right now. For my bakery, it would be called Chocolate Moosey, have a moose theme, and serve all types of baked goods. Maybe even a cafe/bakery because I love coffee.

4. If you were to go on a food-themed vacation, what country would you choose?
Since I've eaten alot of Chinese food and not much Japanese food, I would choose Japan because I love sushi and so I could experiment with different meals.

5 - (and the classic) Which three people (living/dead/fictional/real) would you invite to a dinner party?
Antonio Banderas because he's sexy, Owen Wilson because he's hilarious, and JD from Scrubs because he's my favorite character (besides Dr. Cox).

Directions for the Interview Meme
1. Leave a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. Please make sure I have your email address.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


I also made dinner and dessert tonight. This is what I do on my day off from work.


Linguine Tuna Salad




1/2 lb. linguine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1 (12 1/2 oz) can tuna, drained
1 (14 oz) can peas, drained
1 (7 oz) can mushrooms
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

1. Cook pasta according to package.

2. Meanwhile, combine juice, oil, onion, sugar, and basil. Drain pasta; toss with mixture. Add tuna, peas, mushrooms, and tuna. Chill for an hour before serving.

My thoughts: I subbed angel hair pasta for linguine. I would suggest using fresh veggies instead of canned.

Source: "Favorite Italian Brand Name Recipes" 1983 p.10


Lemon Cornmeal Cake




This has to be one of my best cakes yet. Since I had leftover cornmeal from the Weekend Cookbook Challenge round-up, I viewed the entries for ideas. This cake wins. You don't even need the powdered sugar on top, but I did it for garnish. You could also top with cream cheese frosting or glazed icing. Recipe can be found at Lemon Almond.



My baby looking for attention.