2014 - Book 42

"Go Big or Go Home" - South Dakota

This book was definitely written for young boys. It's all about having "extreme" adventures with your best buddy and the rivalry with the neighbor boys down the street. So for that reason, I didn't enjoy it too much, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. It's pretty well written for a basic book, and there is nothing inappropriate in it, which I appreciated. It's a story about a boy who finds a meteorite and then develops some strange talents. The quest for figuring out about the meteorite and all the extreme challenges along the way made it a pretty easy read. So, not really something I really like to read, but not a bad recommendation for a younger boy.

This week I have a couple of cakes (Gingered carrot cake and German Chocolate cake), some easy sauteed kale, and a neat "wobbly apricot tart".

I made this gingered carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting quite a while ago, so I don't remember exactly what the occasion was or my specifics about it, but I do remember that it was pretty good. The layers turned out nice and even too. One of my favorite features of this recipe was that it actually made the right amount of frosting . . . I didn't run out, and I didn't have a ton left over . . . excellent :)

So pretty

Mmm . . . layers

This German Chocolate cake was the same recipe I made during my cake month (Cake Month - Day 1), but I made it into a round cake this time instead of square. I wanted to make a special birthday cake for my friend Bill (who I made this raspberry ganache cake for a few years ago), so I even got a nice box to put it in. It turns out that I was able to buy the box from the bakery department of my local grocery store for about half of what it would cost at the baking supply store . . . saves time and money :) Anyways, it is a pretty reliable recipe and everyone loved the cake, as far as I know. If I'm not mistaken, I think I made German chocolate German buttercream frosting, but it was a while ago, so I don't remember for sure. Anyways, I just love how the box gives it a really final, professional look.

The easy sauteed kale was exactly what it claimed to be. I had a little trouble with the minced garlic burning in the oil though, so I would just use chili or garlic olive oil and add the chili flake or garlic closer to when you add the kale. The cooking times otherwise were just right, and adding that little bit of balsamic vinegar at the end really added a nice flavor. I don't usually love kale, but I ate this right up.

And finally, this fancy wobbly apricot tart, another attempt to recreate a cool recipe from one of the bakers on the Great British Baking Show (this time one of the hosts, Mary Berry). This recipe is not exactly for the faint of heart, because the crust was really finicky. The only way I managed to get the top crust thin enough to mold to the apricots, yet firm enough to stay in one piece was to roll it out really thinly on a silicone mat and then invert the mat over the tart and slowly peel the mat away. It still wasn't perfect, but I think it turned out really well. Also, I couldn't find apricots that weren't in heavy syrup, so I did rinse them before draining and drying. My marzipan was rather old, but had been in the freezer, so it was still okay to use. I thought the taste was a little off, so using fresh marzipan probably would have given better results, but everyone else loved it and they were all really impressed :) It certainly is a "show-stopper"

That's all for now, hope you all have a great week :)