Cyber Chain Letter - Do You Really Want to Know Seven Things About Me?

Cindy, a loyal blog follower (our only loyal blog follower) and fellow jewelry artisan, recently left us a comment, "I'm tagging you and what you need to do is list 7 things about yourself and then go tag 7 other people!! Have fun". Thanks, Cindy;) Since cyber chain mail is a lot less effort than actual tangent chain letters, and since it didn't add the customary, "something very bad will happen if you don't forward this to 100 people", and since she is kind enough to read and comment on my otherwise commentless blog, I am happy to oblige.

Anyways, here it goes:

1. I like to eat ice cream when everyone else is sleeping - that way I can take all the time I want to savor each bite (and don't have to feed anyone else).

2. I look forward to our household purchase of Girl Scout Cookies every year. (Samoas and Do-si Dos, baby)!

3. I have a spare tire that won't seem to go away. (I refuse to give up ice cream and girl scout cookies).

4. My favorite topic other than jewelry is FOOD (in case you haven't noticed).

5. I love to cook for my family (food thing again).

6. I have one husband, three kids, and one dog (the ones who consume the food).

7. I wish that I had a bigger house to invite family and friends so I could cook for & feed them more food.


Hope you all have a great hump day!!!!

Lemon Pound Cake...for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Tangy and Tart Lemon Pound Cake
Serves 12 skinny people or 7-8 people with healthy appetites
Prep time 15 minutes minus bathroom breaks
Bake time 1 hour and 30 minutes (it will go by very fast if you try to take a nap)

Ingredients
3 cups cake flour (I used Swans)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not to be substituted/mistaken with baking powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt (don't space out and think that you're salting your veggies)
1 cup/2 sticks of room temperature butter (I Can't Believe it's not Butter is not real butter)
2 cups sugar (yup the original version called for 3 cups)
5 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (you might as well pucker up to your honey and kids after sucking on the lemons)
1-2 tablespoons of grated lemon peel (I love my zester)
1 cup sour cream (no light stuff - you want people to like your cake)
1 pt heavy cream - optional (not the stuff in the can that gets sprayed into everyone's mouth)

Preparation
Wash hands. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Don't stick your head in the oven waiting for it to get hot. Grease a 16 cup pan. I just used a large bundt cake pan - who wants to pour 16 cups into a pan. Lightly dust pan w/ cake flour and tap out excess flour. Throw excess flour at everyone around you. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until fluffy. Try not to mix your fingers off while you sneak a taste. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Hop on each leg to delay that bathroom call. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Don't watch your favorite tv program or else you'll overbeat. Beat in lemon juice and peel.


Using rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Scoop some sour cream into your mouth, I mean, mix/fold in sour cream. Wipe your fingers of any excess sour cream (even though you'd like to lick them clean). Transfer batter to prepared cake pan. Unless you want salmonella from the raw eggs, don't lick the bowl.

Bake cake until tester (some skinny utensil or toothpick) inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Hover around the cake and tell everyone that it's not ready yet. Cut around cake in pan.
Don't let the crumbs go to waste.

Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Dollop a very large spoonful of whipped cream on each piece of cake. Better yet, add a small piece of cake to a whooping dollop of cream. Eat to your heart's content and maybe save a few pieces for the rest of your family:) Hope you enjoy our recipe!

*The original recipe was found on Epicurious.com but I altered it due to the fear of the original version putting us in a diabetic coma and cholesterol attack.

Nothing Like Mom's

Why is it that whenever you attempt to cook something made by your mom or dad, it NEVER tastes the same. You can use the exact ingredients, methods, and directions but for some reason, it just doesn't compare to their cooking.

There are some dishes of my parents' that I wouldn't even bother to attempt due to this realization. For instance, I have never tried to make pancit or chicken relleno. And I would definitely, not even bother to try and replicate their recipe for ribs. So, whenever we visit my parents, they always make lots of extra ribs just so we can have some to take home. With that being said, this delicious picture is my parent's ribs, my rice and broccoli (that I can make;), with homemade ranch dressing by the Pioneer Woman . Needless to say, it was just a "little" tasty. Thanks mom and dad!

Halo Halo anyone?

One of our favorite desserts made with shave ice, coconut milk, ice cream (pictured with ube), and a myriad of sweet beans. Delicious and perfect for a hot summer day. (Picture by foodtv.ca)