FREAKING AWESOME COCONUT POUND CAKE!!!!

So, last week I think I made the best dessert I've ever made, and that's sayin' something--I've made (and eaten!) a LOT of desserts in my day! And it shows, right on my big ol' badonk-a-donk. But actually, I've lost quite a bit of weight lately, and was feeling kinda, you know, SMUG, last weekend, so I said, "Hey, what the heck, I'm gonna bake me up a big cake with FOUR sticks of butter, because this is America, and I can!" If you're going to splurge on a dessert, it had better be a good one, right?

This Coconut Pound Cake will NOT disappoint. I promise. Especially if you like coconut--the cake reminded all of us of a big, buttery macaroon. So, the first thing you'll want to do is generously grease and flour your bundt pan (do not skip the flouring part, unless you want your cake to come out in, I dunno, about 6 pieces!). Cream your 4, count 'em 4 sticks of butter with sugar for 7 minutes--very important:

This is how fluffy your butter mixture should look, after 7 minutes

Add flour, then eggs, 1 at a time. Add coconut and remaining flour. Add vanilla, and spoon the batter into your bundt pan:

Batter will be VERY thick

Bake in the bottom third of your oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes. For the glaze, simmer sugar, water and coconut extract:

Spoon a LITTLE of the glaze over the top of the cake:

This is the "top" of the cake, which will soon be the bottom!

 Loosen the sides of the cake with a table knife, and invert onto a wire rack. Pierce cake all over with a fork, and spoon remaining glaze over cake:

Cool completely. Serve at room temperature with sliced strawberries and maybe some vanilla ice cream. I like to macerate my strawberries, which simply means to toss fresh sliced strawberries with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of sugar, then let sit for a few hours. This sweetens up strawberries that might not be very sweet, this early in the season, and makes them nice and juicy:

Toss your strawberries with a spoon a couple of times while they're macerating.



Truly a dessert fit for a QUEEN! Here's the recipe:

COCONUT POUND CAKE

Serves 12-16

2 cups butter (4 sticks) at room temperature

3 cups sugar, divided

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

6 eggs

7 oz. flaked coconut

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. coconut extract

Sliced strawberries

Ice cream, if desired

Generously grease and flour a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and 2 cups of sugar for 7 minutes in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup flour; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix. Add coconut with remaining 1 cup flour. Mix well. Add vanilla. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top. Batter will be very thick. Tap pan on counter. Bake in bottom third of oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

For glaze, simmer remaining 1 cup sugar, water and coconut extract for 10 minutes in a small saucepan. Spoon a little of the glaze evenly over the top of the cake. Loosen sides of cake with a table knife, then turn out onto a wire rack. Pierce top of cake all over with a fork. Spoon glaze over cake. Cool completely. Serve at room temperature with sliced strawberries and ice cream, if desired.

Today I'm grateful for:

* The freedom I have, being a free-lance writer who works at home.

* The 40 degree weather and sunshine we're enjoying here in upstate NY today. To some, that may sound cold, but to us, it's downright balmy!

*Naps. And speaking of.......nighty night!



EASY CREAM OF ARTICHOKE SOUP AND PIGGY PATS PIG-OUT!!

Before I get started with today's post, I just need to brag a little bit about my itty bitty little blog. Just found out today that I recently had my 5,000th visitor to my blog! Which just totally blows my mind--to think that I, a small town girl with a passion for food and photography, could attract that many people to my very own site is just amazing. Some days, I really love these times we live in (well, except for the Recession and the wars and suffering in Japan and Libya and stuff like that--but hey, haven't there ALWAYS been hard times?). So if you see me on the street  wearing my dark Chanel sunglasses, you'll know that I'm feeling very, very famous, indeed, and am doing my best to hide out from all that paparazzi I'm attracting. Keep dreaming, right?

So Big Daddy and I took the chillins (Abbie and Sanford) back to the airport yesterday afternoon for their red-eye flight home. Well, sort of red-eye; I think they would be cruising into their dorm at around 3a.m, New York time, AFTER catching the subway (it's called BART out there--Bay Area Rapid Transit--and it's friggin' awesome!) from the airport. And Abbie had a 10 a.m. class this morning--I'm thinking she'll need at least 2 cups of Pete's strong French Roast coffee, just to stay awake in that lecture hall. Well, after saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Utica (Washington Mills, to be exact) for some real southern BBQ at Piggy Pats. It was our first time, although we have eaten their pulled pork at certain catered affairs in our town. Anyways, what a fun place! Here's their sign outside, and check out the murals painted on the walls and the quilts hanging from the ceilings:

And I wish I could show you how wonderful the food looked, but this was all I could do because I was SOOOO hungry that I virutally wolfed down my fried chicken dinner:

Note: I didn't eat my roll, because I don't do white flour, no way, no how!

Big Daddy had the brisket--I'm totally ordering that next time. Not that the fried chicken wasn't AMAZING, but I think the brisket was even better. So tender with a fabulous sauce. So do yourself a favor--next time you're in the Utica area--and have a meal at Piggy Pat's. They will put some south in your mouff!  I think we now have two favorite places to dine down there--we also LOVE LOVE LOVE Mitsuba Sushi and Hibachi. Both restaurants are an hour away from our home, so we don't get to eat there as often as we'd like--so, they're both a real treat!

Before Abbie and Sanford left, I whipped up a quick and hearty lunch for us all. This Cream of Artichoke Soup is really fast and easy, and man oh man will it ever knock your socks clean off and into the dryer! Start by straining and chopping two cans of artichoke hearts (not the marinated kind), then boiling them in chicken broth:

Saute one large chopped yellow onion in butter, then add to the artichokes:

Gradually stir in one can of cream of mushroom soup, and your spices (be generous!)

My spices consisted of thyme, red chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper)

Gradually stir in half and half, stirring constantly. The recipe only calls for 1/3 cup, but I wanted to stretch the recipe to feed two big and hungry men, so I added almost a full cup, and it was great:

Remove soup from heat and serve. I had a nice wheel of fresh whole grain Foccacia bread, so I served ours with wedges of that:

Enjoy!

EASY CREAM OF ARTICHOKE SOUP

Serve 3-4 entree-sized servings

2 13oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 stick butter

1 10oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup half and half

1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

salt and pepper

Bring artichokes and chicken stock to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. In a saucepan, saute onion in butter. When translucent, add onions and butter to artichoke mixture. Gradually stir in cream of mushroom soup, thyme and red chili pepper flakes. Slowly add half and half, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Today I'm grateful for:

*My husband, who works so hard for our family, and is truly my best friend in the world.

* My daughter, who continues to be the sweetest, smartest and funniest girl we know. The world is your oyster, Miss Thing!

*This blog and it's followers. I never expected to have this much fun!

HE DID IT!!!

After lots and lots of begging and pleading from Abbie AND her parents, Sanford finally did it. Cut his longish Berkeley-college student- looking locks off. I really think this new "do" shows off his sweet face!:

Just in time for Snowmaker's Ball! Abbie and Sanford are double-dating with us this year--the Ball is an annual event in our town, and it's always lots of fun. We have had SUCH a fun week with these two, but alas, they fly back to California on Sunday. But that's okay--we'll be flying out to see THEM in about 3 weeks, at the tail end of our week in Vegas, baby. Let the good times ROLL! Here's another photo of our darling couple:

Happy travels, kids! We love you!

Here's what I'm most grateful for today:

1. I'm grateful to Sanford Jackson's parents in San Diego, who raised such a sweet son.

2. I'm grateful that, even though I bitch about it weekly, I have a house to clean. And maybe this week, it'll STAY clean for more than 2 hours!

3. I'm grateful that I had such eager diners at my kitchen table this whole week. I LOVE having someone to cook for!!

KILLER SMOKY MAC N' CHEESE!

Abbie and Sanford really worked up an appetite yesterday. They were both totally bored, on the last few days of their Spring Break trip, and decided to go outside in the fresh air and build themselves a snowman. Because we still have SNOW--aaaargh! I shot these photos of them from my office window--they absolutely SLAY me!:

Abbie's been begging me for my homemade Mac N' Cheese for, oh, I dunno, the last 20 years, so I thought I'd surprise her for dinner last night and whip up a pan, just for her. But this time, I added a twist: SMOKED cheddar cheese, with a panko breadcrumb topping. Lemme tell you what--this was about the best thing we've ever put in our mouths! If you want to see faces like these, make this for dinner, tonite:

To start with, you need some good pasta--any shape you like. I use Barilla's multi-grain pasta:

Cook until al dente in salted water, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine your cheeses (I used a mixture of smoked cheddar, regular cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese), eggs, mayonnaise, milk, salt and pepper:

Toss in the pasta; make sure all noodles are coated. Pour into a greased casserole dish, and dot with butter. Sprinkle on breadcrumbs--I used Panko--they are the best!:

Here's how the dish looks just out of the oven--MMMMMMMM!!!:

And here's how it looks, served with a pretty salad. You cannot go wrong with this scrumptious recipe!:

Here's the recipe:

        SMOKY MAC N' CHEESE

1 14oz. box pasta--elbows, penne, bow-tie, whichever shape you prefer
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese
1 cup yellow cheddar cheese OR cheese of your choice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. paprika
2 tblsp. butter
1 cup breadcrumbs


Cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium bowl, combine cheeses, milk, egg, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and paprika. Add cooked pasta; mix well. Pour into a greased, shallow baking dish; dot with butter. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and set inside,  in a 350 degree oven.

TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful for the wonderful lunch with my new friend Kate. What a doll!
2. I'm grateful that my husband was able to take the day off, getting some much needed rest.
3. I'm grateful that Abbie's boyfriend is getting his hair cut, as we speak. Very much needed--he is so handsome, and doesn't need to hide underneath all of that Justin Beeber hair!

SWEDISH APPLE OVEN PANCAKE FOR BRUNCH, AND THE WORST FAKE-ON , EVER!!!

This is the way our house looked this Sunday morning--sleepy messy headed college students and one tired husband, just lolling around, drinking coffee and O.J. They were just waiitng for Mama to get into that kitchen and bang on those pots and pans!:

We were also celebrating big news! Abbie just found out that she was accepted into "L' Academie Des Sciences Politiques" in Paris, France, for the Spring semester, 2012! We are just thrilled for her, and Big Daddy and I are already planning our trip over to see her. In my book that's really something to look forward to--Paris in the springtime!

Back to brunch. Abbie's vegetarian, so bacon, our Sunday breakfast staple, was out. Somebody told me that there was a fake bacon ("Fake-on") on the market that wasn't bad, so I bought some. MMMMMM---so delicious, IF you happen to like the taste of cardboard, dredged in salt! Never again, never again. BUT, thank goodness I have this Swedish Apple Oven Pancake recipe up my sleeve--always a huge hit! It bakes up so beautifully, every time. Delicious sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, with maybe some real New York State maple syrup:

Here's the pancake, right out of the oven!

And here it is, sliced, served with that horible Fake-on! Do yourself a favor, and use the real stuff, if you can.

              SWEDISH APPLE OVEN PANCAKE
                               Serves 4-6

2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup raisins
2 tblsp. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup flour
2 tblsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
Confectioner's sugar, for garnish
Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate. Combine apple slices, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread into prepared pie plate. Bake 10-15 minutes; remove from oven and set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, butter and vanilla; pour over apple mixture. Bake until golden brown and puffy, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Serve with warm maple syrup.

              

       TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful for the laughter and silliness Abbie and Sanford have brought back to our home--watching them build a snowman on the front lawn was hilarious!
2. I'm grateful for the prospect of some major life changes coming our way, and soon.
3. I'm grateful to be feeling well today.

WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILIN'!

Just so you know, I'm not Irish, but yesterday (a Friday), my Swedish/French Canadian blue eyes WERE smilin'.....because our college girl and her sweet boyfriend are HOME:

They flew all night, so they were a little disheveled, and the boy toy, Sanford, turned into a total geek in our snow. See, he's from San Diego, born and raised, and has never been around much winter before. This is what he did not 2 seconds after arriving here in the Adirondacks:

That look of surprise on his face? That's because Abbie pelted him with a big, wet snowball. Good times....good times.......

And SPEAKING of good times--yesterday was also our town's annual St. Patrick's Day parade; the largest in the Adirondacks, doncha know! Our group (this was our 4th year together) was "The Irish Eyes" this year, and we took 2nd place! Here are some fun snaps of our getting ready sessions and during the parade itself:

Every single year, the green afros RULE!

Accessories



Pizza--there's a no green beer on an empty stomach rule!



I was "Red Eye" Willard

Beth, as The Eye of The Storm

Denise--Eye Candy (I ate some chocolate off of her later in the evening)

Sharon--Pop Eye (left), Pam--Lazy Eye (center) and me.

Megan and Renee--who were 4 Eyes, with a sexy Irish Elvis from another group

Our gang, getting ready to line up

I was almost run over by this fire truck a few times, trying to get crowd photos

A fun crowd, every single year

New mom Kate--Bug Eyes--a true Adirondack mama, with her beer in the stroller!

                Once again, thanks for the laughs, ladies! You all are the best!

      TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm so grateful the kids had a safe trip, and that they are here in town with us for over a week. Although we won't see them much--too many college kids in town.
2. I'm grateful for the fun spirit of this little town we live in--never need an excuse for a party 'round here!
3. I'm grateful I get to cook for 4 hungry people next week--be ready for lots of recipe blogging, coming up!