Building a big cake!

My niece recently said on her facebook status,

“We are a family that  likes to make big cakes.”

So true.

We made one for her father’s birthday one year that was 5 different cakes

all stacked up on top of each other.

And today we made a 5 layer cake with filling and frosting- a chocolate

decadent cake that was so large that no one could eat even the thinnest slice

by themselves!

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Here it is layer by layer-  Chocolate chip cookies- 1

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Chocolate cake- layer # 2

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Chocolate marshmallow fluff – icing# 1

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Chocolate chip cookie dough- layer # 3

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More Chocolate marshmallow icing

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another chocolate cake- layer # 4

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top layer chocolate chip cookie- # 5.

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Chocolate Ganache icing.

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Drizzling Dark chocolate and sea salt caramel on the sides and top.

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Garnishing with marshmallows and chocolate bits.

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Lighting the candles!

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Admiring the cake!!!

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Cutting the cake with an electric knife – thin slices were mandatory!

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A peek inside-

Well that is the pictorial review of our endeavor.

We all baked a part of the cake- or made an icing- and then we brought it together

and built it.  My family has lots of birthdays in October- so we decided to celebrate them

all with this giant cake.

Happy Birthday to Elizabeth, Martha, Roger, Allyson, Aaron, Lily—,Dianne, and Kieran.

Did I forget anyone?

Leave me a insulted comment and I will ask your forgiveness!

Miscellaneous photos and short recipes

 

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I made my lovely basil into a lovely and delicious pesto-

recipes for pesto are quite easy, to about 2 cups of basil leaves- add

as many cloves of garlic as you desire- I usually add two- process this

in some sort of chopping device (blender, processor, etc.)  Add walnuts

or pine nuts ( about 1/3 cup pinenuts, 1/2-3/4 cup of walnuts) and chop

it up small, adding a good olive oil- at least 1/3-1/2  cup while device is

running.  Add 3/4 to 1 cup of good shredded Parmesan Reggianno cheese

and then taste adding S + P  according to your preference.

I also make a good pesto using mint leaves and sesame seeds- but that is

another post.

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Foccacia bread with pesto.  Yum!

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Apple Cardamom Upside Down Cake- you can find the recipe here.

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And a little Fall foliage around my house- plus a happy ceramic scarecrow my mother made me

a long time ago.

Please leave a message/comment if you have the time- I’m having some problems with the

comment section and we are trying to work out the bugs- Thanks so much for stopping by!

October- In My Kitchen -2012

In my kitchen…

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are these delicious candies that Jordan and I made-

Homemade butterfingers.

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They use only 3 ingredients: 1 lb. candy corn, 1 lb. peanut butter, and chocolate.

They are really good- but perhaps not everyone has access to candy corn?

In My Kitchen…

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Supper last night- a tomato, red onion,goat cheese and bread salad with a balsamic

vinegar dressing  and a wonderful chicken stew with dumplings.   I love it when

my kitchen produces such simple but delicious food!

In My Kitchen…

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Bread – glorious Bread!

In My Kitchen…

Australia’s Women’s Weekly!

my new soup book- Meredith got it for me and it is full of wonderful recipes- I love making

soups and stews all Autumn and Winter long!

In My Kitchen…

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Splayds!  Here we would call these sporks.  But since they are Australian I will use their

proper name.  004

 

I’ve yet to use them for a meal- although I used them several time when I was eating lunch

at home alone- they fit my eating habits quite well- and will go splendidly with the stews

I am planning for the future!

Well- that is what is in my kitchen-

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for the bush basil that I intend to make into my last batch of pesto for the season!

What is in your kitchen?

Join us at Celia’s blog , Fig Jam and Lime Cordial , for a whole listing of IMK posts.  I’d love

to know what is in YOUR kitchen!

September Blues

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The skies have been beautiful- cloudy and blue- Stormy and dark blue and grey-

My blues don’t have anything to do with the weather.

I have been blue.

Down in spirit.

Down in body.

Hurting.

I haven’t been able to post- or even communicate in general.

because –” If you don’t have anything nice to say,don’t say anything at all”  according to Thumper’s dad.

So, I get quiet.

Only then I got sick, and had to go get rehydrated at the emergency room just so I could get back to functioning

properly. 

And now – I’m back.

Still kind of down-

still kind of sick-

but not giving up.

I’m not sure if blogging is going to be a priority for me.

It is a lot of work- and it is hard to put one’s self out here-

I can’t always be productive and cheery.

I had planned many posts in this last period.

Made lots of breads and even took pictures- but somehow

I got lost before I could put them up.

So- I’m kind of planning a break.

Unless my creative side just suddenly breaks out and starts

dancing- I think I will just be kind of sporadic in the blogging

arena.

Thank you so much for visiting- I love all the friends I’ve made here-

and I will still be visiting your blogs.

And who knows- I may be back with 100 cookie recipes to make

for Christmas.

Just don’t hold your breath.

Family time on Chincoteague- not much blogging going on!

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We aren’t posing for this photo- we are watching…

 

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THIS- Aidan on his bike adventure!

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Right after the puddle he accidently turned into the open gate and CRASHED!

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Tomorrow our next influx of family arrives, some left today- Jordan leaves tomorrow-

it is a lot like an open house.  And the beach is beautiful, the gardens are lovely, and the rain stopped!

International Scone Fortnight- #3– Dried Cherry and Chocolate Scones

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I got this recipe from my niece, Martha– and they are delicious.

Especially when paired with a Cardamom Blackberry Pavlova ( recipe later, after scone fortnight).

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Here is her recipe-

Cherry-Chocolate Scones
2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking sodaFi
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cold
3/4 c dried cherries
3/4 c chocolate chips
1 egg
1 c buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
milk and coarse sugar for the tops

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add cherries and chocolate, stir with fork. Combine liquid

ingredients and whisk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir lightly with a fork till evenly moistened.

Knead two or three times on work surface. Separate into 2 balls, pat each lightly into an 8-inch circle,

cut into 8 wedges. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 375 20-25 minutes. Makes 16.

I didn’t have any whole wheat pastry flour – so I used regular pastry flour.

These are really good-  and the recipe makes a LOT of scones!

I’m really enjoying the many different recipes and pictures of

scones from all over,  if you want to see the other recipes , Celia

has them up on her blog, Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

 

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Bacon and fried green tomato sandwich!

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This is the epitome of Summertime deliciousness.

OK- maybe that is overstating it a bit- but really- THIS sandwich was perhaps the very best thing I’ve eaten

this summer.  Good thick smoky bacon from the local butcher shop- freshly fried green tomatoes and red leaf

lettuce straight from the garden between two slices of home made sourdough bread.

Fried green tomatoes are one of my all time favorite summer treats.

And I fried these up in the bacon fat after I fried the bacon.

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You slice up a green tomato, dunk it into egg white, then into 1/2 cup S/R flour mixed 1/2 cup cornflour.

Fry it up in an inch of oil or bacon fat until browned on both sides – drain on paper towels.  And add to

your bacon sandwich instead of a red tomato.

YUMMY!!

Chicken baked on a can

Baked chicken-roasted on a can of diet coke!

Roasted chicken- golden brown and so moist and tender!

I’m sure this is an old concept and it may have peaked a long time ago and you’ve all done it and moved on to better ways of baking.   But this is my first time trying this and we loved it.

Baked/Roasted chicken.

I make it often, but this is a new way to do it and it turned out perfectly!  I can roasted a chicken twice last week!

Last Monday I put it in the oven and it was superb.

Moist and tender and delicious!  The skin was crackling good and all the juices had gathered in the bottom of the pan and were ready to make into

a wonderful gravy.

Diet coke chicken roaster

I used a half can of diet coke- I think you are supposed to use beer- but all I had in a can was a diet coke. I added some smoke flavoring to the coke, salted and peppered the chicken .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I made another chicken on Thursday – again delicious!

I’ve had this little contraption for years and never used it.  I really like it- it keeps the chicken out of the fat, the meat is so good, the skin is delectable and the clean up is a breeze.

(I’ve been playing around with this post- so I’m not sure how it is going to look.  Hopefully it will be understandable!)

How sweet it is… desserts abound.

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Caramel iced ginger cake.

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Topped with chopped sugared ginger morsels.

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Moist and spicy – and GONE!

I saw a picture on Pinterest- looked for the recipe on Google- and made up a

cake to my own liking!

Recipe-

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 cup butter- room temp.

2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spray a bundt pan (10 in.) with baking spray or butter and flour it.

Put butter and sugar in mixing bowl and beat together until smooth, add spices, and then alternate

the dry ingredients (whisk them together first) and the wet ingredients ( beat eggs, whisk in buttermilk)

until mixture is smooth and creamy looking – about 2 minutes on medium speed.

Pour or spoon into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes- it will spring up when lightly touched or

you can stick it with a toothpick and it will come out clean.  Allow to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes and then

turn over onto a wire rack.  Cool completely.

Caramel Topping-

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 TBS milk

3/4 cup 10x- confectionary sugar

Put everything but the 10x sugar in pan and heat until sugar is dissolved- stirring . Bring to a boil , then reduce

heat and simmer- 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in 10x sugar until smooth.  Put into icing bag when almost

cool and cover top of cake.  Sprinkle chopped crystalized ginger on top.

 

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And a black raspberry Pavlova  So totally scrumptious!

 

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Meredith sent me an egg.  A Pavlova Magic egg!  And some passionfruit pulp-

but I haven’t decided on its final use yet.

The egg however – had powdered egg whites- the instructions called for

water and sugar and a mixer.  I made the meringue – baked it and then got

out the whipping cream and black raspberry jam.  This was so good.  If you live

in Australia and can just pick one of these magic eggs off the shelf- try it.

(Of course if you have chickens and a great many eggs to use- just do it from scratch)

Me- I liked the MAGIC!

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And the Pavlova is fantastic!

In My Kitchen- July 2012

In my kitchen…

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there is pork fried rice.  The chops we bought were very thick- so after we

grilled them I cut off the reddish meat from around the bone and marinated

it in sesame oil and soy sauce and cooked it up with vegetables, eggs and rice.

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So very good!

In my kitchen…

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is a pair of hungry eaters- Grandma camp is fun!

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Big Monkey Loves plastic Mac and cheese!

In my kitchen…

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Gourmet goodies from my latest package from Australia!

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I opened this for my birthday meal- spooned the Brandy syrup over cornbread

and ate the fig for dessert.  YUM!

057And I love the sweet/sour flavor of passionfruit!

059I’m looking for just the right recipe to try this Orange blossom

                                                                                           fairy floss (sugar).  Any suggestions?

060These are a new favorite at my house (Thanks to Brydie for

introducing me to them and Meredith for supplying my habit!)

In my kitchen…

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are the remains of my chocolate cake with pink icing birthday cake from last week!

Thank you, Willow and Aidan!

In my kitchen…

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is one final bloom from the Serbian bellflowers that I have

in the front bed at my house.  They are so pretty that I love to

gather them up into bouquets!

This is part of a series started by Celia at Fig jam and Lime cordial.

Go and take a look at all the bloggers involved- lots of peeks into kitchen

around the world.