Marriage Tip #17: Be there even when vomit is involved

Lee and I have both been sick the last couple of weeks.

First, Lee had the flu and a cold for over a week. The poor guy was a mess. He'd have hot flashes one minute, then shivers the next.   Lee rarely gets cold, so I knew something was wrong when he was shaking and couldn't get warm.

Lee, wrapped up, but still shivering

There was a lot of coughing, fever and chills, and vomiting. It wasn't pretty and Lee was miserable for a while there.

Then, a few days later when Lee was starting to feel better, I came down with a cold and sinus infection. The sinus infection must have aggravated something, because an old root canal started to throb and ache. Lee drove me to the endodontist, who confirmed that I had a raging tooth infection and gave me an antibiotic and a couple of pain medications to help me through the next few days before I could get the root canal retreated.

There was plenty of throbbing, swelling of the face, and vomiting (I fail at taking 3 meds that are known to be upsetting to the stomach!).  It wasn't pretty and I was a mess over the weekend.

I lost a dimple because my cheek was so swollen from the infection

Okay, I know vomiting is disgusting and gross.  It smells just awful and easily causes gagging of those who get a whiff. It may even sound like your once beautiful/handsome loved one has turned into a velociraptor* before your very ears.

After these couple of weeks of sickness, we've learned something and we'd like to share a marriage tip for when your loved one is sick and throwing up:  Be there even when vomit is involved.

Throwing up is A) so violent to the body, B) just plain horrible, and C) leaves you weak and disoriented, so...

• If your love is tossing his cookies, then rub his back.  I am not saying you have to review with him everything he ate in the last 24 hours (you can look away), I'm just saying the simple act of rubbing his back will help him feel better;

• And if your beloved is upchucking, then hold her hair.  I am not saying that you have to smell the vomit (you can plug your nose), I'm just saying that she will know that you love her and her pretty shampoo-smelling hair;

• And even if you don't have the stomach for it and you just can't be in the same room with your dearest, which means you can't rub her back or hold back her hair because your dearest sounds like a velociraptor*, then you can still hold her after it's all done.  She won't feel like such a velociraptor* after that.

You see, aside from being violent, horrible and weakening, throwing up makes you feel so vulnerable.  And the fact that your loved one will comfort you and won't tell anyone you turn into a velociraptor* when you are tossing your cookies, does wonders for your relationship. 

*See Season 6, Episode "Challenge Accepted" of How I Met Your Mother.*  It's a good one.*

Lemon Basil Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting

It's spring here in Utah.  I love, love spring.

My name is Winter and my favorite season is spring. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Oh wait, I know.  There are no flowers in the winter here.  Boo.

But, it's spring now!

AND, the deer haven't eaten a single tulip this year (knock on wood).

Because it's spring and all our tulips are intact, I've got the perfect spring cake for you: the Lemon Basil Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting.

I've mentioned this cake before.  Mom K inspired me when she ordered the lemon basil sorbet at the Space Needle during this trip. I love the lemon and basil combo:  fresh + fresh = spring.

So on to the cake!  You've probably got all the ingredients, right?

I'm sure you made the lemon curd yesterday, and I'm positive you've already started growing your own basil in your window box, so you're golden!

Sift the dry ingredients together.

You're going to be using cake flour.   Now cake flour is different than other flours.  Cake flour has a lower protein content, making the cake lighter and more tender.  If you don't have any, you can make your own here.

(I implore you--please don't think that you can make an exact 1:1 exchange of all-purpose flour for cake flour!  If you do, your first attempt at this cake may be dense and dry and everyone eats the frosting and leaves the cake.  Yeah, don't let that happen to you.  It's totally embarrassing.)

Next, you need to curdle your milk! Lemons and whole milk!  Basically, we're making buttermilk.

Cream your butter, add your sugar.

Then add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding.

If you have a minute between beatings, wash a handful of basil leaves.  I sandwich and pat them dry between paper towels before chopping so I don't have extra moisture.

Chop chop! You don't want huge pieces, so get choppin'.

Now alternating, add flour mixture, milk mixture, and sour cream in batches, mixing at low speed.

Lastly, gently mix in the lemon zest and basil.   (If you are worried about the batter turning totally green, don't you fret!  Let's just say I fretted for you the first time I made this.)

All done.  The batter is not green--see!

Divide the batter into two 8-inch (greased and floured) round pans and bake.

When they come out, set them out to cool for 5 minutes in the pans.  Then ease them out and wrap the layers in a bit of plastic and let them cool completely.

(I promise, the wrap does wonders.  Until I discovered this trick, I had made five--FIVE--different cakes that were miserably dry!  The plastic wrapped cake is brilliantly moist.)

While the cake is cooling, make your frosting.  Lighten up the lemon curd--fold about a third of the whipped cream in the curd.

Then, fold in the rest of the cream.

Assemble the cake!  (By the way, don't forget to remove the plastic wrap--that would be awkward and not tasty at all.)

And there you have it--

I love this cake--it's simple and fresh.

(And I would highly encourage you to eat the left-over frosting.  Go ahead--stick your finger right in the bowl and get every last little bit of it.  It is SO delicious!)

People, it's springtime in cake form.

I think you should go and celebrate the flowers and the sunshine and Easter now!


Lemon Basil Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting

For the cake:
2 c sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c whole milk
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/3 c chopped fresh basil

For Frosting:
1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c confectioner's sugar
Lemon curd, chilled (see recipe here)

Cakes:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.  Spray paper with cooking spray and dust pans with flour.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together lemon juice and milk (milk will curdle).

Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and beat till pale and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternating, add flour mixture, milk mixture, and sour cream in batches, mixing at low speed.  Begin and end with flour mixture.  Add lemon zest and basil and mix on low till incorporated.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops.  Bake for 19 to 22 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool in pans on rack for 5 minutes, then  invert onto racks and remove parchment paper.  Wrap layers in plastic wrap and cool completely.

Frosting:  Beat cream and confectioner's sugar until stiff peaks.  Fold one third of whipped cream into lemon curd to lighten, then add the remaining cream and fold in gently.

Assembly:  Put one layer, rounded side up, on a cake plate and spread 1/4 of the frosting and spread.  Top with second layer, rounded side down, and spread frosting on top and sides.  Garnish with lemon wedges and basil leaves.

 

An easy, lovely lemon curd (and an attempt at other citrus curds)

There are a few things that I am still scared to make in the kitchen.

• I am scared to make croissants.  I think I am afraid that I may make a flat, greasy lump of dough.

• I have never tried making homemade gyoza skins.  I am sure to lose Asian points for this one, but I was never taught and I am nervous to try.

• I love meatloaf, but I never ate much growing up, so it is still a mystery to me.  I am hesitant.

I'm sometimes a timid cook.

Lemon curd used to be on that list.

'Cause who makes lemon curd?   It seemed a little too fancy and a little too time intensive for me.

All sorts of lovely citrus for curd!

But then my sister, Dimples, introduced a cake with a frosting that required lemon curd.  We'll talk about the cake later, but I wanted to tell you about how I overcame my fear of making lemon curd.

You see, this lemon curd has 5 ingredients.

There's some grating and squeezing involved.

Lemon, lime, and  orange zest and freshly squeezed juice

The cool thing about this lemon curd is that it doesn't require a stove top. You make this lemon curd in the microwave.

A microwave?  Lemon curd in that new fangled contraption?!?

Yeah, you can make this curd in a microwave!

The mixture starts out kind of runny...

All the ingredients whisked together.

...and as you microwave it, the mixture gets thicker...

The curd starting to firm up.

...until it coats the back of a spoon nicely.

Creamy and thick!

The lemon curd is divine.  The lime curd was okay. The orange curd was a disaster!

The lemon and lime curds ended up in jars, but the orange curd got tossed!

I'm going to tweak the lime curd recipe, and I'm on the hunt for a totally new recipe for orange curd, but for now, you should try this lemon curd recipe.

It's a cinch!

And if anyone has an awesome lime or orange curd recipe they want to share, please email me!  I need help!


Lemon Curd

(Adapted from this recipe from Allrecipes and this recipe from Gourmet)

Ingredients:
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest from 3 lemons
1/2 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted


Directions:
In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until smooth.  Stir in lemon juice, zest and butter.

Cook in the microwave at one-minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the microwave and transfer to another bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap; chill until cold or at least for one hour.

Jaques Chirac is...

Roses for me!

...a little jealous.

Roses not from Jaques Chirac--unexpected!

When did Jyrki Katainen enter the picture?  I'm so confused!