A Weekend Mix


There's lots of randomness here for you today. I've been having very strange and detailed celebrity dreams recently. Last week, I dreamt that me, Janet Jackson, and some other friends had big plans for a girls night out. We were so psyched!

Janet was married to a basketball player who was injured in a game, so she had to cancel our plans and go take care of him. Her plan had been to do The View in the morning, then she had a big concert that same night in Boston. Because she had to cancel, she said that we could still all get together, but she wouldn't be in Boston for another six years. Hmmmm....


Last night I dreamt that Steve Martin was visiting me at home. I have no idea why. I remembered that I had the book Shopgirl and wanted him to autograph it for me.

Above is a picture of my sunroom. It's my favorite room in my apartment, because of all the windows. It's this nice cozy little nook where I keep my books, that aren't cookbooks, along with many of my plants. They just love all the sun. I've always had a very green thumb except for African Violets. I always killed them and for the brief period of time that they were alive, they never bloomed. Well, I've discovered the secret. Just let them be.

I water my plants often. Someone told me that they were no good with any plants, because they didn't take care of them, except for African Violets. So I figured that I'd pretend that I didn't care about the plant and just let it die. Then maybe in turn, it would actually live.

This must be my fifth or sixth African Violet. It started blooming a couple of weeks ago. I haven't watered it in over a month, maybe two. I guess it likes tough love. So why am I telling you this in the middle of my Steve Martin dream?

Well, I actually do own a copy of Shopgirl, and it's located in this room. So in the dream, I was looking for it, but couldn't find it. I knew I had it, but it wasn't there and I started tossing books around looking for it. The one time that Steve Martin was actually over my house. Wouldn't you know? The dream was so real, that I actually looked for the book today to make sure it was still there.

*Updated 4/5/09* While, I didn't get one of Steve Martin's business cards in my dream, apparently, some people have received one in real life. Strangely enough, Steve Martin's business card frenzy started yesterday. Maybe that's why I couldn't find the book in my dream? Because he wouldn't have autographed it anyway...

Well, that's enough random celebrity dreaming for now. I baked a cake last night. A good one too. Here's the recipe. Hopefully I'll be updating the Recipe Index soon!



Banana-Coconut Cake
{Adapted from Lots-Of-Ways Banana Cake - Baking From My Home To Yours}
{makes a one layer cake}
1/3 cup Smart Balance
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/3 cups flour
2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup vanilla rice milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T banana schnapps
1/2 cup shredded coconut

In a medium bowl, mash bananas. Stir in vanilla extract and schnapps. In a separate bowl, combine softened Smart Balance, sugars, and egg. Add in banana mixture. Add salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and rice milk. Stir in flour, then coconut.

Oil and flour a round cake pan. Use parchment paper or wax paper if you like to line the pan. Pour batter in pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. Tastes great plain or with some whipped cream on top. Enjoy!

*Updated 4/22/09* Please check out Shirley's gluten free version of this cake. You'll be glad you did!

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Comments

Eva said…
Ha! I have dreams like that. I haven't read the book, but I loved the movie.

I see your Bluebook. I still have mine from law school and always will. My cherished companion!
Chris said…
I love peeking at bookshelves to see where their interests lie (I'm a book voyeur). Actually, that's a great idea for a blog post. Have readers send in pictures of their bookshelves. I think I may do that this week.

BTW, I was looking for a good edition of a Complete Shakespeare. Do you like the one you have?
Lisa Johnson said…
grey street girl - I loved the movie too, but the book was such a joy to read. I had only planned to skim it at the bookstore, then get it from the library. But I couldn't stop reading it and I ended up buying it then and there. Steve is such a beautiful writer! ; )

Ah, yes, the Bluebook. This was from one of the last places that I worked. There's probably a new edition out by now...

chris - I love looking at bookshelves too! I'll be looking for your post. And I'm very ashamed to say that I have not really delved into my Complete Shakespeare. I keep planning to!
Lotus Reads said…
Hey Anali!

Love what you're doing with your blog! I didn't know Blogger now had all these cool features!!! Serves me right for hibernating so long! :)

Thanks for the banana-coconut cake recipe, it looks so darn good...going to have to try that sometime.
Cynthia said…
What have you been eating before going to bed? :)
Lisa Johnson said…
lotus reads - There are so many cool widgets out there, that I keep adding them! And you'll love the cake. It's pretty quick to make too.

cynthia - Well last night I had a couple of cookies before bed. I also watched "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith. Yup, more celebrity dreams. I was making a movie with him and asked him to pose for some pictures, so I could tweet them and post them on flickr!! ; )
Irene said…
I had to crack up at the dream - I have dreams like that often where I can't find something just when I am looking for it -- is it a lawyer thing??? ;) I love Steve Martin. And I love love love your sunroom. It looks absolutely perfect.
T. said…
You know about MY celebrity dream: "Ba-RACK, it's not as if I'm going to POST your picture on my BLOG!" tee-hee...

I LOVE your sunroom. It reminds me of a book I read when I was about my daughter's age - The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snider - not because the rooms resemble each other, but because our photo gives me the same feeling of a warm, home-y retreat that reading that book gave me. I remember nothing else about the book except that at the time I though it was one of the best I'd read.

And yes, I love being a bookshelf voyeur too. Every time I go over to someone else's house I can't help scanning the shelves for the sheer pleasure of it. One time, though, I was in a home with no books. NO BOOKS. Can you imagine? A house with no soul!
Big Boys Oven said…
hahahah I too have many dreams . . . .not desserts tho! lol!
Lisa Johnson said…
irene - LOL! Maybe it is a lawyer thing!

t - Thank you! A house with no books is a sad house indeed. I remember when I was a kid and my father bought the new Encyclopedia Britannica. I used to love looking at those books, the feel of the pages and the leather binding.

big boys oven - Nice to see you around here again! ; )
recipe looks good! Mrs. EC is on a no-dairy diet right now, so I'm sure she will be excited to see a smart balance baking recipe
Parisbreakfasts said…
Oh well here goes:
My first night back from Paris I dreamt I was in St. Tropez helping Michelle O. pick out chocolates at a chocolatier!?
Whatever did I have for dinner?
Celebrity dreams...nice idea
:)
Lisa Johnson said…
endangered coffee - Thanks! I hope she can give it a try.

parisbreakfasts - I'm glad that I'm not the only one having these! And that dream sounds like a fun time! : )
Celebrity dreams always crack me up! They are always so random.

Okay, I am now leaving the African violet alone, so it will bloom again. Thanks!

Special thanks for this banana cononut cake ... I am definitely converting it to gluten free. I always have baking bananas at the ready. :-)

Shirley
Lisa Johnson said…
shirley - The flowers are blooming even more! I'll have to keep taking pictures. I hope you post your converted version of the cake. I'll be on the lookout for it! ; )
Hi, Anali—I converted your cake to gluten free and kept it dairy free with some modifications. ;-) I made it this morning—-it is fantastic! I will do a gfe blog post on it soon, but I used ¼ cup of olive oil vs the 1/3 cup of Smart Balance, I used a gluten-free flour mix that included xanthan gum in place of the regular flour, I only used 1/3 cup of coconut (that’s all I had, and it was sweetened, so less was better), I used kahlua in place of the rice milk, and I skipped the banana schnapps. Absolutely delicious. I have a committee meeting this evening and I can’t wait it to share it with the group! :-)

Thanks so much!
Shirley
Lisa Johnson said…
shirley - That sounds so good! I cannot wait to see your post. I'll do an update to this post linking to your version. So exciting!! ; )
SE'LAH... said…
What caught my eye in this post? The Blue Book. Memories...
Lisa Johnson said…
se'lah - Welcome! It's funny how a book can resonate so strongly for some of us, depending upon our fields. It makes me wonder, what others see that I miss.

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