Mocha Cream Cake

33 Variations Birthday Recipe #2 - Mocha Cream Cake

Oh yeah!!!


The history:
This is a cake that my grandmother (who I called Mimi), my dad's mother, made for my granddad and thus my father had it while growing up, loved it and then she would make it for him too.  So when my folks got married my mother got the recipe so she could make the cake sometimes.  In our house growing up, this tended to be made in the month of April - or at least in early spring - for either my dad's birthday or for Easter.  This was the recipe my father gave to me for my 33rd Birthday!


Yesterday was the first time I've ever made the cake.


It's a very impressive looking cake and one that's not terribly difficult to make.  It has three parts so it does take time, but not too much, and all of the steps are pretty darn easy!


Everyone who ate a piece LOVED it, well my nieces were semi-fans, it's a delicious cake but for young palates it's not necessarily what they'd love.  It's not like a chocolate cake, being coffee flavored and all, I gather it's a cake that kids don't always love.  Though they both did try it.


*The cake needs to be refrigerated once it is made!  

Fridge Photos....

 Cake and Chef ... Baker ... ???!!!  :o)  (I think I was talking with my niece.)

 Mocha Drizzle fo'shizzle!  (I'm a dork)

Lion Burger anyone?

So I was out to lunch with some of my new co-workers, I LOVE BEING ABLE TO SAY THAT BY THE WAY, last week and was taken to a burger place in Albany.


"Burger Centric"
Question: have you ever heard of steaming a burger?  
I never had, not before hearing about this place.  But I digress. Good burgers, and a LARGE variety of ways you can have a burger.


Creative titles ... creative ingredients!


I had a garlic kobe burger for my first 'Burger Centric' burger.  Very tasty!


Also on the menu were things like (how weird is this, weeks after I had two of them) Kangaroo, Alligator, Bison, Venison, and if I'm not mistaken Python.


OH YEAH AND NORTH AFRICAN LION!  What?!?!?!  


A.) I didn't know you could eat Lion.
B.) I didn't know Lion was legal to eat, but apparently it is.
3.) For $200.00 for a half pound burger (or $110 for a quarter pounder) I did not try it.
D.) On the way out, we found out it is possible - in other words the owner, who was the one saying this, has said he'd be willing to let us order two Lion Burger Sliders for $50.00
5.) I really might have to try it out - try everything once, right?!
F.) If willing and wanting to do this, one must let them know the night before so they can get the lion.


Hmmmm...food for thought (pun sort of intended)!


:)


Oh yeah...and I love that there's a gal at work who's a foodie like I am!

St. Patrick's Day Food

(I've realized - and gotten a full time job - that I haven't posted on here in a bit ... so here are a few 'over due' posts.)

Everyone's Irish on March 17th!

So it's tradition in a large portion of the US to cook corned beef with cabbage (and potatoes and carrots) for St. Patrick's Day ... is this the same in Ireland?  I highly doubt it - though I do not have fact or fiction statistics to make a definite statement.

I've cooked it a few times.  Funny, the beef comes with a packet of seasonings along with the packaged statement that it's already seasoned ... so it's not really all that difficult.  Put meat in pot, cover with water, add seasoning packet, cook for roughly 4 hours.  About an hour and a half before it's done add the chopped potatoes and carrots, and at about half hour'ish you add the cabbage.

Remove from water.  Cut meat.  Serve and eat (with mayo for the potatoes and mustard for the meat).

One day I'd like to try seasoning it all the way myself ... and adding in some Irish Soda Bread (another "American" St. Patty's Day staple).

Cooking the meal got me thinking though, that it's likely we've taken what would have been cooked in the super lean years ... and in much MUCH smaller portions back then.  Hot water with a bit of meat to flavor it, add some potatoes and veg and then eat.  Then use the flavored water for a soup.  But I digress...

It might not be their tradition, but it's one over here that I love!

Hope everyone had a Happy ... and a Guinness!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

~Father and Daughter Bowing Down (2009)

Alligator & Kangaroo

Last night I tried both Alligator and Kangaroo, my Stomach on a Mission father got take out from a place in Albany that has both of these on their menu.

I "knew" people ate Alligator but I didn't realize people ate Kangaroo.  They are kind of like deer in Australia, right?  Ha ha ha!  I don't know.

At any rate...to me the Kangaroo tasted very similar to beef.  And the Alligator tasted, well, it was a rather neutral flavor actually.  I guess I could go with the age old "tastes like chicken" line and that would be fairly accurate.

Interesting.  Unique.  Two more to add to the list of interesting/unique things I've eaten!  Thanks Dad!  :)

"Beef Maryland"

Last night I made, yes I'll just say it, an awesome dinner!

It was the first of my "33 Variations Birthday Recipes" that I have made.  My brother, Mike, is the creator of Beef Maryland and I've got to hand it to him, it's an amazing dish!  It is his take on Beef Wellington and uses ground beef rather than a piece of beef ... and here's what it looks like (sans the pate as our local - small town - grocery store did not have it; funnier still, the guy I asked and who works at the store did not even know what pate was...)!

One of the really great parts of this particular recipe is that you get to make individual dishes for who ever's coming to your table!  :)

 Chef Moi, ready to dig in!

 This is what she looks like from within!  

Now I'm no published food critique, and I was the chef, but it's a great dish!  The spices blend well together and are complemented nicely with a dry red wine - I served the same wine I put in the dish with the dish and it was a Chianti. 

It's like a party in your mouth ya'll!  

If my bro ok's it, I'll put the recipe up on here for others .... or perhaps, if we know one another, we should make a dinner date and I'll do the cooking!

Frittata Heaven

Do you like egg's?
Do you like omelette's?
Do you like quiche?
If so then I can guarantee that you will like a frittata.

Eggs, milk, cheese, veggies, bread, potato and meat ... any and all these things in one bite ... YUM!

I am a big breakfast food lover!  9 times out of 10, when I go out for breakfast, I will order an omelette - so I don't think it's a big surprise to find that I love frittata's!

In November I decided to try making my first one, it required some stove top cooking and then a bit of time in the oven (thank goodness my mother had two cast iron frying pans that can do stove top to oven with no problem)!  I'd found the recipe in one of the multitude of cooking store magazines in the house and decided to give it a go.  Deliciousness ensued ... and all who tried said they thoroughly enjoyed!

*Here's a snapshot ... one with peppers and one without (for those who don't like'em)!  I got it from the Williams Sonoma Catalog.

"Lodge Brunch Frittata"

Then last month, February 9th to be exact, I got an awesome Frittata Pan for my Birthday!  Woot woot!  Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

These pans are awesome, they eliminate the need for in the oven time because you can flip them!  What you say?  Check out these pics of my second time making Frittata's and the first time use of my new Frittata Pan!

"Potato, Spinach and Cheddar Cheese Frittata" 

(I found this recipe on line)

 First One ...

 Second one ... 

The prep time - chopping etc. - takes a bit of time, but they are easy and tasty!  You can put anything you want in them - in fact I once had one when staying at a friends, her husband put baby scallops and asparagus that had been lightly sauteed in garlic oil, in it and it was fantastic!  And they are so pretty!  Great "wow" factor me thinks!  

And isn't my new pan pretty!

Give it a go!

"Your" Tunafish Recipe

Today's lunch, tunafish.  Yummy!

I know there are many ways that people like to make tunafish.  Growing up this is how my mother made it, so this is how I make it (and how I prefer it):

Tunafish:

INGREDIENTS:

Tunafish

Carrots

Celery

Onion

Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Mayo

In a small mixing bowl combine chopped onion, chopped carrot, chopped celery (as much or as little of all three as you like).  Add a can of tuna, ground pepper (to taste), salt (to taste), garlic powder (to taste) and mayo (as much or as little as you desire).

Serve on bread; toast, toasted english muffin or with crackers.

(*my mom tends to chop the veggies rather finely, I prefer them a tad larger.  and, I like to use a red onion for a slightly sweeter taste and another splash of color.)

Two variations:

The Tuna Melt - after the tuna has been mixed, place a toasted english muffin on a baking sheet, add some tuna and cover with a slice of american cheese (or cheddar if you wish), place under broiler and broil until the cheese has melted and edges become browned.

Tuna - for a sweet tooth - instead or chopped veggies, or perhaps in addition to the chopped onion, add a tablespoon (or so) of relish and mix.

NOW ... how do you make your tunafish???