my cupboard love |
I'm not very good at good-byes....I get choked up and emotional. Not easy, since this girl, who, in the past week has had to say so long three times. A couple of co-workers moved on, and today my nephew got on a plane to Kamloops, British Columbia to chase his dream. Our family didn't have much time to get used to the idea...six days only to plan a little send off party for him. In that time, he traded in his car, bought a new truck and prepared for his big adventure. The women in his life, his mother, sister and girlfriend are shell shocked, imagining life without him nearby.
Yesterday afternoon, we had a potluck at my niece's house for him. Between us all, we made all his favourite foods...lasagna, macaroni and cheese, Caesar salad, steak, garlic bread, cheesecake and my Skor cake. Quite a mish mashed menu. I can't remember when he even had my Skor cake, but to the best of our recollections yesterday, we figure it is at least ten years ago. Apparently, he really liked it and wanted it as part of his "last supper". I was chuffed when my niece asked me to make it for him, happy to be part of an old memory and now a new one. We sat in the September sunshine and laughed and laughed some more when my son, in bare feet, stood in a present the dog had left quite recently. The cousins played together...the 20, 17 and 3 year old that is....running around with nerf guns terrorizing each other with great zeal. I would place a bet that the two older cousins had the most fun....just saying. So back to the Skor cake. I can't recall where I got this recipe from if you can even call it a recipe. It really is quite simple to make. Prepare any decent chocolate cake mix as directed into two 8" or 9" cake pans. Once cooled, slice each cake in half, to create four layers in total. Place six Skor bars in the freezer to chill. Once well chilled, place each unwrapped chocolate bar in a freezer bag and hit with a rolling pin until crumbled into small pieces. Next, beat one litre of whipping cream with 2/3 cups of sugar, 2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup of cocoa until thickened and slightly stiff peaks have formed. You want a nice spreading consistency. To build the cake, spread each layer with a nice amount of the chocolate whipped cream and sprinkle with the Skor bar pieces. Continue until all layers are piled high with the whipped cream and Skor bar. I usually leave the sides bare, its easier to slice and the layers look nice. Place in refrigerator to chill. If need be, secure layers by sliding wooden skewer down centre of cake until ready to serve.
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I woke up with a plan today Dear Reader. Despite the crazy humid weather we had this week, I have not been fooled. I unearthed the long pants, sweaters and dreaded socks that I know I will be needing in the next few days. Can't fool me with the hazy humid days. Instead, I choose to think of them as a warm kiss good bye, a so long for now blip in the Fall weather that I have declared myself ready for. So long sandals and capris....hello sweaters and stews. With the wardrobe sorted, I headed downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. I was a woman on a mission today. I spent the morning combing through my box of tricks looking for my favourite Thanksgiving recipes to share with you. Oh so many! I am trying to get it down to a reasonable amount from the current heap that it is.....and my family aren't helping. Just when I think I have the list settled one of them will remember a recipe and say "but what about....?" Told you this wasn't going to be easy. The mountain continues to grow. I was feeling inspired, and now hungry after looking at so many recipes. I freshened up my coffee, cranked up my ipod and sliced and diced the afternoon away. The boys hung around long enough to have some of the macaroni and cheese I made and then went out to escape the kitchen concert I was having. Apparently they don't share my taste in music. Oh well. So about the macaroni and cheese. A few pointers Dear Reader. Don't overcook the macaroni. You want it to be al dente. Still a bit firm, because it is going to bake for half and hour in the oven. It will be a mushy mess by the time it is baked if you overcook it. And don't skimp on the cheese. I don't mean the quantity of cheese. Buck up and get a decent piece of old cheddar, not the tasteless, rubbery grocery store varieties you find next to the butter. Wander over to the deli area and buy it there. You don't need that much of it and it won't break the bank. But it will make all the difference to your dish. Cheese is the star in the macaroni and cheese. Let it shine! Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese Adapted from Food Network Magazine, October 2013 issue For the pasta: 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 3 tbsp all purpose flour 1 tbsp mustard powder 3 cups milk 1/2 cup onion, finely diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp paprika 1 large egg 12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated salt and pepper, to taste For the topping: 3 tbsp unsalted butter 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, approximately 7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, melt three tablespoons of the butter. Add the flour and mustard powder and whisk until there aren't any lumps. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes. Add the milk, diced onion, bay leaf and paprika. Stir until combined. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove and discard the bay leaf. Using a fork, beat the egg in small bowl. Beat in a few tablespoons of the warm sauce and then slowing add the egg mixture to the sauce. (This step, known as tempering, keeps the egg from scrambling when added to the sauce.) Add three quarters of the grated cheese to the sauce and stir to combine. Pour the macaroni into the cheese sauce and gently stir to combine. Pour macaroni into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in small pan. Pour the panko breadcrumbs in and stir to coat. Spread panko crumbs over macaroni. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow macaroni to rest 5 minutes before serving. The topping on this macaroni is so good! It was my husband's favourite part of it. So light and crunchy! Well back to the heap of recipes I go Dear Reader. See you back here in a few days...
I have been thinking about homemade soups and knitting for the last week or so. I have been thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas baking. My husband thinks I'm crazy. I'm fed up with humidity and am looking forward to bright crisp mornings and sleeping without the a/c cranked. I know it doesn't make me popular to feel this way, but I am a spring/fall kind of girl. Summer is over Dear Reader and I couldn't be happier. The next few months are always so busy with holiday meals, shopping, and parties. I will write list after list and be in my OCD glory! I have lists in my phone as well as in a small book I carry in my purse. I love lists. They keep me organized and on the ball, not to mention sane. I have a busy life. It really is the only way. So with summer's end we had our friend's Don and Brenda over for dinner. We hadn't seen them in over a month as they had been away on a driving trip to our east coast, visiting New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I made that ricotta that I shared with you a while back as an appetizer. This time though, I roasted some yellow pepper and grape tomatoes to put on top. The sweetness of the yellow peppers with the tang of the tomatoes made these little toasts fantastic. You really must try making the ricotta if you haven't already. Seriously. Go now. It is my youngest son's birthday today. Our family tradition is that dinner is your choice....go out for dinner or have Mum cook whatever you want. My family always opts for Mum's cooking on their big day. He chose his usual......burritos and nachos. Not very high brow Dear Reader, but good family fun. For dessert this year he changed things up! He asked for the epic apple pie I shared with you here I while back. My family hasn't stopped talking about that pie since I made it and this was the perfect excuse to have it. It really is epic. Worth all the apple peeling. Trust me.
So here we are....the last long weekend of the summer. The next one is Thanksgiving Dear Reader! I am so excited. I have a special Thanksgiving page planned with nice recipes to share with you. Watch the top of the blog for a new button in the coming weeks...... |