Photography

I've decided I need to take better pictures...or as good of pictures as I can take while still being an amateur. I'm going to read my camera manual and also try to find a short, user-friendly guide to picture composition, use of colors, angles, etc. If I'm going to be taking photos the rest of my life to capture memories, I might as well try and make them good photos worth looking at.

Walker's 25th Birthday

I'm thinking of using this recipe for Walker's birthday cake...not sure if I'll have time or just pick one up from a bakery...


Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake Recipe courtesy Linda Quinn

Cake:
1 egg
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup good-quality cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot coffee
Frosting:
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups good-quality semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup caramel
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (9-inch) cake pans.
Cover the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, cut to size.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, oil, and buttermilk. In another larger bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well mixed. Gradually add the hot coffee, and stir again to combine. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Combine the milk and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Add the butter, and then bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate chips to the pan and, using a wire whisk, mix until smooth. (Note: If frosting is too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons hot coffee.)

Place 1 cooled cake layer with the top side down on a cake plate. Spread with 1/3 of the frosting, pushing it out slightly from the edges to make a ripple or petal effect. Sprinkle frosting with 1/2 cup toasted pecans and drizzle with 1/4 cup caramel. Add the next layer, again with the top side down. Repeat frosting layers. Place the top layer with the top side up. Repeat frosting layers.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 (9-inch, 3 layer) cake
User Rating:

Episode#: BE1F01
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Words Truffle Knows

sit, lay, no bite, no, mail (as in go get the...), outside, tee-tee, good girl, treat, daddy, walk (as in do you want to go on a...), come, bed, cooper (the dachschund next door; they are barking pals), toy, chewie (rawhide bone)

McKinney Cake Show

The McKinney Sugar Wonder's Club hosts a cake show every two years and this is the second time our store has been a vendor at the event. Becki, in addition to being a vendor, submitted a cake in the show in the intermediate category. There were about 100 cake entries at varying levels. We took approximately 10 dairy packs of books and set up our display. We took an assortment of cake decorating, cooking, gardening and crafts books to sell. The HPB name recognition helps and many customer's kept repeating that they love HPB and were glad we had a table there.

Irish Gourmet Night

We had Irish Gourmet night last week and many thought it was better than Mediterranean night. We had 13 again this time with an assortment of dishes. Becki and John brought "Sheep dip" (with sheep's milk cheese, pine nuts, dill, etc) and Irish Rye soda bread. Adrienne and Paul brought a tray of salmon & cream cheese on rye with Guiness and Bailey's for coffee. Kelly and Glen brought corned beef and cabbage cooked the old fashioned way. Erin and Jim made a family recipe of Irish soda bread and some whiskey. Julia made a dessert with oats and apples topped with heavy cream. Dollye and Walker made sauteed Kale w/ bacon and apple "crumble". Tony and Mandy came after dinner (they had already eaten). April's gourmet night is at Becki and John's house and will be Mexican. May's will be at Kelly and Glen's new home and is American.
Here's the recipe I used...


Sauteed Kale with Irish Bacon Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

6 rashers Irish bacon, chopped
2 small spring onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds kale, tough stems removed, leaves rinsed well and left damp, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Irish butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.
Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the butter and when melted, add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the damp kale and stir to combine. Add the stock and stir. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add the cream and lemon juice, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the kale is very tender. Add the bacon and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Serve hot.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating:

Episode#: EM1G06
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Positive Dog Training

this is one of those orange Idiot's guides to dog training. The woman who wrote this is a trainer for competing show dogs and has many years experience in dealing with dogs. (she was also a groomer for some time). The approach is easier on you and easier on your dog. Instead of hitting your dog every time she does something you do not like, you train her to obey instructions and so you instruct her to do a behavior that you do like instead of shouting 'no' at her which gives her no direction. Truffle knows 'sit'-we have been working on this one for a few weeks, but this morning we started training on 'lay'. This book encourages training sessions to last no more than 10 minutes because any more than that is viewed as punishment by the dog. Other commands I hope to implement soon are 'give' and ...

What to Eat

I've started reading this book as my lunch break book. It basically takes a tour through every aisle in the grocery store. It includes a wealth of information on organic vs. traditional growing methods, lists ingredients you should beware of, and cautions eaters of common labeling misconceptions. Also makes the reader aware of "food miles" and the effect this can have on the quality of the food as well as the cost of the food. I've only read the first hundred pages or so but this is very informative so far and I look forward to being more knowledgable about purchasing and consuming when I finish this book.