birthdays and broiled bliss

I don't know about you, but I like baking my own birthday cake. I can make exactly what I want exactly how I want it.


This birthday was no exception.

It seems like I crave a different cake every year. Last year, it was all about carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This year, I went in a completely different direction--oatmeal cake with broiled coconut topping.

It might not sound spectacular, but it is. Oh, how it is. The cake is moist and rife with cinnamon, while the topping consists of crunchy toasted coconut and rich caramel goo.


Can we please talk about the pool of bubbly caramel goodness at the bottom there?
Good googa mooga.
I hope I got that piece.

Yeah, I was satisfied--it was a good birthday. I'm sorry there's no money shot of a piece, but every time I cut a slab for myself, I simply couldn't pause for even a second before digging in.

Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Coconut Topping
Cake:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Coconut Topping:
1/2 cup milk
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup butter
1 cup flaked coconut

For the cake, preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x13" cake pan.
Combine oats and boiling water, stirring to blend well. Let stand 20 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, vanilla, and cooled oatmeal mixture, beating until well blended.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture, beating until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping. Combine the milk, butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the coconut. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke several holes in it with the tines of a fork and immediately spread the topping over the hot cake. Turn the broiler on and return the cake to oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the coconut is nicely toasted. Although it's probably best to let the cake cool before cutting into it, no harm is done in digging some out immediately, topping it with a large portion of butter pecan ice cream, and shoveling it into one's mouth. No harm at all.

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a dazzling debut!

This stunning creation marks the first use of the springform pan I've owned for years and years.


Impressed? Surprised? I was both.

In case you haven't noticed, I've really been enjoying my Barney Butter. I've used it in several sweet treats, but this time it found a home in something much more healthy and savory.


Although the Barney Butter site refers to this as a tart, I can't help but think of it as a quiche. Granted, the crust is a little different from the usual pastry crust, but I still think I'd like to call this a tiche (quart is already taken).


So how is it? Funny you should ask, because it's the best darn tiche I've ever had. And guess what--it's cheeseless. I'm sure many of you would take care of that posthaste, but I didn't mind at all. The subtle nutmeg is very pleasant, and the spinach provides color and that "Hey, this is good for me!" feeling. The crust is something special altogether, and I can see many uses for it in the future. The almond flavor is certainly there, but it's not so strong that it takes away from anything else.


Yes indeedly, this tiche is a fine breakfast dish--relatively easy to assemble and super simple to consume.

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a vehicle for jelly

Don't get me wrong--I like a good biscuit, and the flakier, the better.


I just find the jelly part more appealing, that's all.

Confession: I really enjoy those refrigerated biscuits from Pillsbury that you can peel apart, layer by layer. They're second only to my Mamma-lamma's shortening-based beauties in my shortlist of awesome biscuits. The pucks of flour featured in this post don't even make said shortlist, but that's okay. As I said, the jelly's the star here.


Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to give you the recipe. It's Mamster's concoction, and she's pretty much got a patent on the process. I will tell you that it's apple-cinnamon (and therefore amazing) and sweetened only with fruit and natural xylose.

Maybe she'll release her hold on the recipe one day, or maybe she'll start making it in bulk, sell it, and become ridiculously wealthy. Either way, it's win-win for me. :)


Not satisfied without a biscuit recipe? Want a good one? Try Sophie's, Maria's, Robin Sue's, or Dawn's. They all do good work.

Speaking of Mamburger, I'll be spending Easter (and my birthday)(which is today) with her and the rest of my family in VA--hooray! I hope you all enjoy your holidays!

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truffle-upagus

Yes, I watched Sesame Street as a child, and yes, I was fond of Snuffleupagus.


But no, I never knew his first name was Aloysius.

Aloysius Snuffleupagus. Come on--awesome, right? That's quite possibly the best name ever, and that's all there is to it. Future son of mine, be prepared.

Okay, this post isn't really about Snuffleupagus. It's about truffles. Get it? Truffle-upagus? Boy-o, I'm easily amused on a Monday morning.


Generally, I save truffle-making for occasions when I have deep reserves of patience and lots of time on my hands. I consider it a trying process. Lately, though, I've been inspired and motivated by my Barney Butter, and I was easily able to summon up the courage to attempt their truffle recipe.

I'm here to tell you, folks--these truffles are unlike any I've ever had, in a good way. They're replete with the almond butter flavor, set off nicely by the subtle cocoa powder, vanilla, and honey. Depending on what you roll them in [I tried powdered sugar, more cocoa powder, cloves, and (surprise) cinnamon], the little balls of heaven are easily able to take on other flavors.


I didn't even have that much trouble with them, thanks in part to numerous and lengthy rest stops in the refrigerator. Give 'em a try, especially if you like that good ol' chocolate-nut butter combination. I recommend giving them a tumble in cinnamon and a quick visit to the freezer.

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a slab of buttered cornbread a day...

...makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise.


Or am I getting my adages mixed up?

I may have mentioned before that my grandpa has eaten a piece of cornbread with his lunch every single day for as long as I've known him. Sometimes he even has some for supper too. Needless to say, it's something my grandma can make with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back whilst adamantly quizzing me about any men in my life.

This isn't your fluffy, cake-like, sweet, Yankee-fied (no offense intended) version. Rather, it's classically Southern, with a crispy, crunchy, crusty exterior and crumbly, coarse, super butter-absorbent interior, perfect for sopping up whatever meat or bean or vegetable juices might be pooling up on one's plate.


There are two requirements for Grandma's recipe: a cast-iron skillet and shortening. It's just not the same without those components.

As I mentioned above, sometimes my grandpa has a second piece of cornbread for supper. He doesn't slather this one with butter, though, oh no. This one he crumbles into a glass of cold milk. Have you tried this? Grandma calls it "cornbread milk"--pretty aptly-named, am I right? I must say, it's pretty amazing. Be sure to let the bread get soggy and flavor up the milk--you won't regret it.


I'm contributing this recipe to Laura from The Spiced Life for her wonderful event Grandma's Recipes, which spotlights recipes passed down to us from our grandmothers. Isn't that a great idea?


Any recipe we've been lucky enough to learn from these women is undoubtedly a keeper.

Frannie's Fine and Fabulous Cornbread
(I made a half-batch, which is why mine's so thin)
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 egg, slightly beaten
scant 2 cups milk

Spray an 8-inch cast-iron skillet with nonstick spray, toss in shortening, and place into an oven preheated to 450F.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, egg, and milk; mix until combined. Remove melted shortening from oven and pour into mixture; stir until blended. Pour batter into the skillet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Turn out onto a plate, slice, serve, butter, and consume.

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oatmeal cookies in a different form

I like oatmeal raisin cookies--it's easy for me to convince myself that they're healthy. Plus, it seems like they're always redolent of cinnamon, which can never be bad.


What if I could have the same pseudo-health benefits and cinnamon aroma in half the time and with less than half the effort? Win-win.

It's time again for Taste & Create, the blog event in which bloggers get paired up and must make a dish from each other's recipe archives. My partner for this go-round (XVII) was Stef from Cupcake Project. I was actually paired with her once before, and I attempted to replicate her Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes. They were delightful, as are all of her clever and creative concoctions.


This time, I picked her Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes with Maple Glaze. Isn't the very idea of it pure brilliance? I can't believe I haven't come across it before.

I made absolutely zero changes to her cupcake recipe, and they couldn't have come out better. I just love when the aroma of cinnamon fills my apartment. The texture of the cupcakes is quite unique, and I suspect that the vinegar has something to do with that--after all, it's not a common cupcake ingredient. They're soft and pillowy and just break down right in your mouth, but at the same time, there's a bit of a chew from the oats. Nice.

Stef used maple extract in her glaze, and instead of buying some, I used a different recipe. Although I'm sure the original glaze is good, I thought this one was completely perfect--it was extremely tempting to just take the mixing bowl and spatula, have a seat, and revel in its tastiness.


Great recipe, Stef--you're a superstar!

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island in the sun

This lingering 30-degree weather makes me wish I lived in a tropical climate. Such warmth. Year-round warmth.


I say that now, but as someone who's known me for 25 years, I'm fairly certain that I'd find something to gripe about. That's just how I roll.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Oh! Nuts, a fabulous company offering everything from nuts (duh) to dried fruit to coffee and more. They were kind enough to send me some of their goods to sample and evaluate. I received some cherry rock candy and ice cream sundae malted milk balls, both of which made fantastic noshes. They also sent some cinnamon almonds (they know me without even knowing me!), dried apple slices (more on these items later), and macadamia nuts.


The macadamias are spectacular. First of all, they're massive. Gigantic. Gargantuan. Further, they're already shelled, salted, and roasted, so the work has already been done--all you have to do is chew!

I wanted to use a few of them in a dessert and, feeling a bit despondent about this weather, I had as close to an epiphany as I ever come--a tropical version of Hello Dollies. Instead of walnuts or pecans, I used the macadamias, and instead of chocolate chips, I went with white chocolate (I'm not sure what's island-like about white chocolate, but let's just go with it, okey-dokey?). I kept the coconut and tossed in some dried banana too, just to carry on with the tropical theme.


Unsurprisingly, they're delightful bars. Crunchy, salty, sweet, chocolate-ridden--could one ask for more?

Yes, one could. One could ask for a little warmth.

Aloha Dollies
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dried banana pieces
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs and place in a 8x8" baking dish, patting the mixture down evenly with your hands. Sprinkle on the white chocolate chips, coconut, macadamia nuts, and banana pieces on top of the crumb mixture. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the entire mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Let cool completely before slicing.

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