TWD: Chocolate Cream Tart

Woot! Finally cool enough to bake! The temperature went from toasty 98+ degrees to a wee 60 degrees overnight. I guess my cool weather dance paid off.

This is the last time I will bake in our old house because everything is packed up besides some basics. A few bowls, a saucepan and a cast iron skillet. The skillet I took as suggestion from Chef over at Pastry Methods & Techniques who's hitching a ride on a moving truck of her own. Even our dishes are boxed up so this photo was taken on a loverly paper plate (as if you couldn't tell). I suppose we really don't need all the gadgets and gizmos we think we do to get the job done. Afterall years ago when chefs were whipping up the first french meringue buttercream I doubt they had a kitchenaid handy.

One modern convenience I did need was the internet, because my cookbooks were packed away weeks ago, I had to go a Googlin' for the recipe online. Hopefully this was the right Tuesday's with Dorie recipe for Chocolate Cream Tart chosen by Kim at Scrumptious Photography. Her blog name does not tell a lie, her photos make you want to reach right through the screen and run away with the plates. Since I don't have pans I decided to use up some puff pastry and make some long rectangle shaped tart shells to fill. Worked out pretty spiffy because I believe the chocolate shells would have been too much chocolate for me (What!? Did I just say that!). No matter what it was a great way to say au revoir to the tiny kitchen from hell.

Happy Earth Day!

I wish I was one of those super green fellows that always does the reduce reuse and recycle thing. The most I've been able to do on a regular basis is reusable bags at TJs....baby steps I guess.

When we move to our new house I plan on trying my hardest to make it part of our regular lives, sorta like new house new way of living. Planting our own garden and composting are definitely on the agenda. When I was a kid my grandma would always keep the eggshells and things like that for the garden, she didn't compost in the Martha Stewart sort of way but in her own way and it helped her garden. Living in Los Angeles County we always have the drought looming over us so I am also doing a bit of research on using native plants to landscape to reduce water usage. Over on DesignSponge (love it!) they had a post from Flora Grubb and it had a bit about gardening with a link to the Sunset plant finder where you can search for sustainable less water loving plants for your garden. Genius!

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

Oh my lordy its hot.... when I got in the car today after work the ambient temperature was 104 degrees. One hundred and four people!

Right now its 7pm and its 94 degrees in Pasadena. I have no AC, no cookbook (because were in the middle of packing to move) and no real need to turn on the oven. Shoot I can't even open the front door because my stupid landlord took off the screen door and never put the damn thing back on.

Maybe when its cooler I will tackle the bread pudding because it does sound good. It was chosen by Lauren from Upper East Side Chronicle and you can check out the blog-roll over at Tuesday with Dorie to see how everyone's turned out. For now I'm going to go figure out how to climb into the refrigerator.

TWD: Chocolate Amaretto Torte

This weeks TWD recipe was chosen by Holly of Phe/MOM/enon you can find the recipe there and info about a March of Dimes Blogging for Babies event which is allot more important IMO. As someone blessed with two very healthy boys in my time my heart goes out to those that are not as fortunate.

Ok back to this cake business.... a few weeks ago I whipped up some frosting for the Rootbeer Bundt Cake Bake Along I thought that my Cuisinart was on its way to the food processor wasteland in the sky.... so worried in fact that I was afraid to turn the thing on last night. Its working like a champ and I was just paranoid. Good thing it worked to because this torte is so damn yummy! I had this little sliver of a slice last night at around 10pm...man it was so good!

Oh holy crap I just remembered that I was supposed to bring to work and forgot it on the stove...shiznit!

Stegosaurus Cake

A friend of mine from culinary school asked me to make her wedding cake (back in 2006 whilst we were still in school, I really didn't think she would keep her word!)

This is the accompanying grooms cake turned new stepson's cake. Her new stepson happens to love dinosaurs the real deal kind of dinosaurs and as she put it "none of that baby shit...." so I gave her the choice between a Stegosaurus or a Triceratops because I wanted something with 4 feet firmly planted on the ground no matter how cool a T-Rex would have been.

I'm so relieved that I actually pulled this one off. I was not sure that it would work or stay together but it did! Thanks to my honey for making the wood structure with my silly instructions & trust me attitude. I think even he was surprised that it turned out!

Lynndy's Orchid Wedding Cake

This was the bride's cake to go along with the Stegosaurus cake.

This was based on a design by Nancy Kay. I've never copied anyone's cake before because its always hard to do someone else work justice.

Since Lynndy was an old friend from culinary school and was willing to accept a cake of mine with no tasting or sketch I had to oblidge.

Hopefully this would be considered a decent rendition and imitation taken as sincerest form of flattery.

TWD: Skip it...

When life's got you so busy you barely have time to take a pee... you must choose to Skip-it.
Remember those! Did you have one in the 80's? I did and man my ankle sorta hurts just thinking about it. Ahhh the good old Skip-it ankle burn.....
And if the mere mention of Skip-it doesn't have you playing the jingle from the commercials in your head here you go....



I have no idea why "....the very best thing of all was the counter on this ball"? That doesn't seem to enticing as an adult to be perfectly honest.

When the dust of life settles a bit I will have to try the recipe that was chosen this week by Amy at Sing for your Super because who doesn't love Banana Cream Pie!?!

Seriously Cakeflower...lemon shaped? I had to investigate! Seems it was called a Lemon-Twist. That makes me want some of these fruit shaped powdered candy filled things me and my sister got at the PigglyWiggly one summer when we were up in Washington.