Thank you to everyone who commented on the last entry; you made studying so much more enjoyable by giving me seventy-seven little moments where procrastination was almost possible. Here I’d be, sitting at my desk writing out Hebrew verb tables (because my life is THAT exciting) when Gmail would let me know that you had something to say. And of course I had to go look - immediately - because who knows what sort of fascinating baking process you thought was going on in my kitchen? Some of you actually guessed what I was making at various points during the week: chocolate chip cookies, scones and challah, though no one guessed cinnamon-currant bread. 
Those who didn’t guess ‘correctly’ gave me excellent ideas for future kitchen sessions. Thanks to Emily I am now obsessing about baking a raspberry braid, and when I’m not fantasizing about that I’m thinking about the rhubarb, strawberry and vanilla swirl ice cream Babycakes suggested. Geez! Do you want me to have any brain power left for studying?
This morning I picked the raffle winners using a complicated, utterly scientific process in which I’d scroll through the comments with my eyes closed then, quite suddenly, stop: when I opened my eyes the author of whichever comment I saw first won. I did this five times with my husband laughing at me throughout, because apparently I make funny faces when my eyes are closed and I’m scrolling through comments and I want to know who is going to win a free book. The 5 people who won a copy of “I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with your Favorite Bands” are listed below. The number is from your comment so, for instance, Mary was the 59th person to comment. I sent an email to each of you, please respond with your mailing address so I can forward it to Hyperion.
- #59 - Mary
- #32 - Stacey
- #12 - Allan
- #73 - Megan
- #46 - Steamy Kitchen
As you can see from the Oatmeal Cake recipe below and the stir-fry recipe featured in my previous post, the recipes in this book are quick and easy. Not counting the ten minutes of soaking time for the oats, the oatmeal cake took less than five minutes of effort. And I have to say, I enjoyed those thirty-five minutes when it was baking and filling my apartment with the aroma of warm brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. When the cake was done I topped it with coconut and set it under the broiler for about three minutes, just long enough for the coconut to turn a light-golden brown and the other topping ingredients to bubble slightly. A piece of this cake goes well with a cup of steaming breakfast blend tea, though I should note that it is very sweet - so depending on your tastes you may want to serve yourself a sliver instead of an entire slice. I went the sliver route with a cup of black tea and splash of milk, while my husband decided a medium-sized slice with a large glass of milk was more to his liking. To each his own!
—–
Book Review: “I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with your Favorite Bands” is an indie-rock cookbook that features recipes from groups like the Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants, Calexico and Death Cab For Cutie. (These four bands also happen to be the only contributors I’d heard of, but people much cooler than I will likely recognize the other musicians.) The 105 recipes in this book are varied and range from “Big Apple Quiche Muffins” in the “Breakfast” chapter to “Wild Boar Ragu” in the “Main Courses for Carnivores” chapter. I’ve had the book for a little over two weeks and have made an adapted version of the “Asian Stir-Fry for Vegetarians Who Hate Vegetables,” the oatmeal cake pictured above, a pear and goat cheese panini, and eggplant parmesan, which I baked instead of frying as the recipe recommends. I was pleased with how these meals turned out and was especially grateful for their “easy on the effort” approach. Other recipes range from down-home comfort food like mac and cheese, to playfully titled drinks like “Patriot Act Mojitos,” made with fresh mint, sparkling water, Cuban rum and sugar, among other things. For the health-conscious there are several ‘healthy alternative’ recipes, for instance, cookies made with powdered green tea and vegan chocolate chip cookies. And for the adventurous, the “Strawberry Pop Cake,” which is made with strawberry soda and Jell-O, promises an interesting afternoon in the kitchen. Overall this is a good little cookbook with recipes that can be made when you’re short on time and that can easily be modified to suit your tastes. It also begins to answer the question: What do musicians eat when they’re on the road?
There are two things about this book that I wasn’t too thrilled about. First, a handful of recipes are plagued by some of the worst writing I have ever seen - ever. I understand that the musicians who wrote them are artists and infinitely more hip than I will ever be, but I ask you, who publishes instructions like this: “…add a little bit of cream!! And STIRRRRRR!!!!… SIR LAWRENCE OF ARABIA!… THEN, put it on the frying pan!!!! let it get GOLDEN!!!” I mean, seriously, either this guy was on something or the recipe is so out-of-this-world that T. E. Lawrence came back from the dead to try it. (That’s the only way I could get my head round the Arabia connection.) Thankfully recipes like this are few and far between, and the one quoted above, for “Africanitas Ricas,” was the worst offender. The only other thing I wasn’t too keen on was the inclusion of a recipe for a bologna sandwich, but if part of this book’s purpose is bringing the artists to the people then I suppose it isn’t so bad. “Rock can get complicated,” the text reads, “but this sandwich isn’t. Feed to those who are living the dream.” I can dig that.
In addition to the aforementioned chapters, sections include: “Soups, Sides and Starters,” “Sandwiches,” “Main Courses for Vegetarians,” “Drinks” and “Desserts.” Whatever your musical tastes this book has something for everyone and is worth checking out. And if you happen to be an indie-music lover? All the better.
Oatmeal Cake
Reprinted with permission from “I Like Food, Food Tastes Good.”
Ingredients: Makes 1 Cake
For the cake:
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 stick of butter or margarine (8 tbs), melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour boiling water over the oats and let stand for 10 minutes. In another bowl, blend the butter and sugars together, add the vanilla, eggs and dry ingredients. Mix in the oats and bake for 35 minutes.
For the topping:
- 6 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk (I used 1/8 cup whole milk instead)
- 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened
Mix together and spread over cake. Set under the broiler for a minute or two - or just until the top bubbles.
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This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Books, Cakes, Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
36 Comments.
A big congratulations to all the cookbook contest winners.
An oatmeal cake? I had never heard of one..but your photo looks enticing. I would definitely have a sliver or two but with a nice hot cup of coffee, with a touch of cream.
Congrats to the winners!
This oatmeal cakes sounds delectable, Ari! Sweet, soft, and with a hint of breakfast-y goodness…
Wow! this cake looks delicious! I am with you on sitting there studying and hearing that you have mail…MUST see what it is! That’s why I’m here writing you instead of finishing my cardiovascular studying for Step 1 exam! Hope your Hebrew tables become ingrained in your mind and your tests go well.
Oatmeal cakes remind me of the adam@home comic strip that was in the sunday paper last week
/
(by the way, there’s a link in that previous comment, if you click on “adam@home”)
http://www.gocomics.com/adamathome/2007/04/29/
Congrats to the winners!!
Thank you SO much Ari!! I can’t wait to get the cookbook and make something GOLDEN!!!! STIRRED!!!! and CREAMY!!!!
félicitations to the winners !!!!
Ariela ,
would you like me to send you the recipe of my glace à la vanille avec un tourbillon de fraise et de rhubarbe ???
all the wonderful and inventive suggestions bring me inspiration too !!!
have a good day everyone .
Ari, thanks for your review of this cookbook. I’m pretty sure I’m not cool enough for it — I don’t get the whole Lawrence of Arabia thing. The oatmeal cake looks great, but I’ll skip the book!
Gilly -Thanks, I’m glad you like it!
Claire - Ah you understand! There is nothing like the siren song of the email notification when you are studying for exams.
Daryn - That’s a funny comic strip, I haven’t seen it before! Though I hope you’re not implying that my cake was lumpy, ahem.
Steamy Kitchen - You’re welcome! And btw, your comment made me laugh out loud.
Babycakes - I would be beside myself with glee if you shared your recipe with me!
Lydia - It’s a pretty hip book but don’t let Lawrence of Arabia hold you back. What is cooking if not an adventure?
I love oats, so this wonderful cake has really captured all my attention! I’ll have to make this recipe very soon. I can’t wait to taste it…
Congratulations to the winners! Cool that you can give your readers such a nice gift. Have a great weekend! Oh, and the kids will be thrilled with the cupcakes!
Your photos look so wonderful as does the cake. I love coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated milk…. yumm. I wish I had could take a bit but I’m afraid I would eat the entire thing
This sounds like such an interesting book. Soda pop cake? I might have to check this one out.
Oh ARIELA, you just teach me a new expression … your blog is so polyvalent : books reviews, wonderful recipes and from time to time, additional english lessons
;)
:) 
the weekend is quite overbooked already with the elections second tour and 4 days off in arow thanks to the 8th armistice …that’s to say, many friends or/and family gatherings …but I’ll send you the recipe ASAP , ok ? …
Love the new look. That cake looks good and something my family would like.
Have a great weekend!
Congratulations to the winners
Great review - and that cake looks awesome!
Cris - I was more than happy to give books away, I only wish I could do it more often! I love making my foodie friends smile.
Monika - Thank you! Your photos are always gorgeous so that’s high praise. I’ve been working on my technique a lot. It’s been my study break routine this past week.
Matt - You certainly should! It’s a nifty little book.
Babycakes - What expression did I teach you? I’m curious! I look forward to seeing your recipe, many thanks for sharing!
Nancy - I’m glad you like the new look! I hope you have a fantastic weekend too.
Kelly-Jane - Hooray for the winners! I only wish I could do this sort of thing more often. I’m happy you enjoyed the review and the cake photo!
Ari, what a delicious cake! Oats and coconut? Great!
Wow that cake is gorgeous. I can’t believe that it’s from a book about indie-rock bands!
I am crazy about your blogads gif…..Perect!
Do we ever pay them off?
Cheers from China…..
OMBW
*sniff* I didn’t win a free book. =( I am reminded of another book I want to read: Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand. Do you know that British band? Their singer and guitarist Alex Kapranos wrote about his/their gastronomic adventures while on tour. I want to read it! >_
Oh, the band is from Glasgow so I don’t know if calling them British is appropriate. *giggle* I still want to read the book. >_
I love the new look of your site!!! Didi you do it yourself or hire someone? I’ve been wanting to redo mine too.
Tali - I know, pretty surprising but hey, rockers gotta eat too! Might as well be good food.
Lonnibhodge - I’m glad you like it! I don’t love the idea of selling ad space on my site, but every bit of extra cash helps pay off all my student loans.
Tari - Yea, sorry. I wish I could have given everyone a free book. But if you like Franz Ferdinand you might want to check this one out anyways, he contributed a recipe to “I Like Food.”
Garrett - Thanks! I designed the new layout myself. I used Fireworks to create the template.
Oatmeal and Coconut! My two favorite things. I’m making this soon. Thanks for all the great recipes. I try recipes from your blog more than any other.
The cake recipe looks and sounds absolutely delicious. What size pan should I use to make it?
Sounds like an interesting book Ari! I’ll check it out.
You pick some great recipes to get distracted with. Yummy!
Congrats to the winners!
WOW!!! This sounds divine! It’s going into my list of things to try and SOON!
That book sounds really cool! Although cookbooks by experienced chefs/cooks are great, it’s fun to have these concept cookbooks…see how non-pro-cooks feed themselves. And you come across some great gems…like this cake! I love oatmeal and have never though of having a cake of it…thanks for sharing this
Btw, noticed the Art of Eating on your Currently Reading list…I’ve got it on my shelf but haven’t started yet. Will you be writing a review?
Congrats to the winners! Cookbooks are always a good thing.
I’m neither here nor there with indie-rock, but I do like road food and I especially need recipes that don’t take a whole lot of time to put together. Thanks for the review Ari, I ordered the book!
Sounds like a cool book Ari, I’ll check it out. And what a lovely cake photo! Mmm, that looks good. Hard to believe it’s road food.
Mie - I used a 9-inch, round, springform pan.
Cordelia - Cool.
Kristen - It’s a hard job but uh… well, no one has to do it, but I do anyways.
Christine - Awesome, let me know how it turns out.
Joey - I probably won’t review “The Art of Eating” in an entry but I will write a sidebar blurb. So far it’s a great book, M.F.K. Fisher has an amazing way with words. Some of her essays actually make your mouth water!
(P.S. Since you like music so much I think you would enjoy “I Like Food…”)
Sandy - Indeed they are.
Geoff - Great! I hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer - Thanks! I’m glad you like the photo.
Thank you so much for picking me! I just got the book,will post a dish from it this week. (me, happy!)