Father's Day (back!)

It has been a long time since I've posted.  Yes, many holidays have come and gone.  And I've celebrated.  I've also made a fair number of 'just because' cakes.  But none have made me as excited as this meal I'm about to tell you about.

My daughter has been gone for 11 months.  So it was totally up to me to come up with a Father's Day Celebration.

I:  took care of the yardwork in between downpours, and made a kick-butt dinner.

Salad
Linguine alfredo with sauteed vegetables
Oven fried snapper with a thai spicy dipping sauce
Broiled shrimp
Fresh strawberry tart

Rose/Lemonade

Our special honoree really liked the meal, especially the dessert.  I must admit, it was pretty sweet

You take the cake

Lately, I have done a lot of baking.  Perhaps it is my antidote to becoming too buff (I also workout alot.)  Perhaps it is the perfect indoor activity that doesn't get you too sweaty.  Perhaps it has to do with the idea that there are so many cakes and so little time.

Whatever the reason, I have done a lot of baking lately and it is all pretty darn good.  But this might have taken my cake making to a new taste level.  German Chocolate Cake.

I know, right?  You are thinking, how is it she is just discovering this?  Well, because I didn't know what it was and assumed it must be really gross.  I mean, german food, beyond sausage and sauerkraut, is all suspect.  So how good could a german cake be?  Well volks (ha, a german joke!), it's good.  It's really good.

The recipe came from David Lebovitz living the sweet life in Paris.  I followed it religiously and he (David) was right about everything, because in the end, it was the BEST CAKE I HAVE EVER MADE!!! And that is saying a lot, if I do say so myself.

One more thing.  When you make a cake like this and there are only two people in your house, it is a good idea to take it to work and bring home only one piece.  That way, you have good portion control in your household and you win friends at work with your culinary flare!

Beans, beans, the musical fruit.

It's BEAN DAY today!  At least according to the people at http://www.holidayinsights.com/.  I have never heard of bean day, but it couldn't have happened on a better day.  Why, you ask?
Because I:
a. had to make dinner tonight and needed inspiration for a quick meal, and
b. wanted to make a new post before mid-month.

So bean day came along and I decided to make (drumroll, please...) Chili!

It was a quick and dirty meal, because I had to work today and didn't start cooking until 6:45.  We ate shortly after 8:00.

Drop biscuits

Two bean, two meat chili

Orange wedges

Beer.

A note on the chili.  I doubled the bean content and included both kidneys and pintos.  I thought about going for three (black) but decided to not overdo when time was short (a shame since it was bean day.  Maybe I'll feature black beans next year on bean day.)  I also decided to double the meat content and used both ground beef and ground turkey.  It made for interesting color contrasts.  The beans being dark and pink; the meats being dark and white.  Nice!

A note on the beer.  Dark beer = good.  A good mild yet rich accompaniment to chili, it doesn't get outdone, but it also doesn't outdo the main course.  Tonight, Becks Dark gets the shout out.

The best I could do and it came out pretty good.  Chili is always better after it has had a chance to sit for a day or two so that the flavors can 'marry'.  So, I can't wait until dinner tomorrow for Bean Day- the sequel.