Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream

Happy Birthday Dad

He couldn't decide between an oatmeal cake, which he hasn't had since he was a kid, and a coconut cake. Oatmeal cake is really dense and satisfying whereas coconut cake is light and airy. Totally different.

Hybrid time.

I made an oatmeal cake but omitted the (fattening) condensed milk topping and whipped up some fluffy whipped cream that had been steeped with coconut flakes. Topped with more coconut and sliced bananas, this cake was a perfect combination of my dad's favorite flavors.

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream:

* 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)

* 1 1/4 cups boiling water

* 8 tablespoons, 1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 cup brown sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Place oats in a bowl. Add boiling water and let stand 20 minutes.
3. Cream butter and sugars, then add eggs and vanilla and stir well.
4. Add rolled oats. Stir in dry ingredients.
5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake 40 minutes.

Coconut Whipped Cream:

* 2 cups heavy cream
* 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
* 2 T sugar
* splash coconut extract

1. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan, but don’t let it boil.
2. Just before it boils, take the cream off the heat and add coconut.
3. Let it steep until it cools.
4. Strain coconut, add sugar and extract.
5. Whip.

Dinner was fish (more of Dad's favorites) but this one was too pretty! Mom said she would eat it tonight but never again. We can only buy ugly fish from now on.

My Graduation Party! And how I ended up making 3 different cupcakes

It's official, I am DONE with high school. I can't describe how good it feels! I don't have to step back on that campus as a student ever again. I am an adult. I am free!

Okay my celebration is a little premature. I don't graduate officially until June, but I'm done with exams and classes. I'm living the summer life until graduation. Can I get a hoorah?! Florida State here I come.

Clearly we had to party. Which is how my first big cupcake order just happened to be for myself. I made three different types:

 

Chocolate Raspberry

 

Red Velvet

Golden & Maple

Every cupcake was gone before I even got one. But that's okay, I'm glad they were a hit!

Graduation is sweet ;)

Recipes will come later.

Sage and Barley Soup

Grandma Flo is in town! She came down from New Jersey for my graduation. We really never know when she's going to pop in - she just kind of appears - so when I answered the doorbell today I shouldn't have been too surprised to see her.

Okay, what can I make quickly that will fill everyone up? Soup! No-brainer.

Sage is a flavor I've never used before, and after tonight I want to use it all the time. It's so earthy and gave the soup that "mmm" factor. Don't try to substitute another herb. And usually barley is paired with spinach, but I used kale because I found this reallyyy pretty type with bright red veins. Well when it wilted into the soup the color didn't quite stay, but the flavor worked perfectly. Grandma even asked for seconds. Win for me!

Excuse the unattractive picture, blackberries don't have a soup-picture-taking setting yet.

Sage and Barley Soup:
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 5 large sage leaves, chopped
* 1/2 c pearl barley
* 14 oz can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
* 14 oz can organic diced tomatoes
* 8 c red kale washed and chopped (or spinach)
* 6-8 c homemade vegetable stock
* fine-grain sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* garnish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I think my mom is the coolest woman on my side of the Earth so it's great that I got to dedicate a day to her. I don't know if you subscribe to the idea of "love languages", but she definitely likes to be shown love rather than to be told or showered in gifts. So I spent the whole day cooking a fabulous 3 course dinner for our family!

 

 The crab cakes are one of my favorite things I have EVER made! Cranberries and crab are a perfect match. Check out the recipe below.

 I feel like cake is much more elegant than cupcakes, but as our family isn't heavy on the sweets I knew a whole cake would go to waste. Instead I made individual mini cakes and I think they turned out so cute. Anyway when it comes to dessert, who likes to share?

I used the Jimmy Buffet recipe (now changed to "Cupcake in Paradise" so I don't get a call from his lawyers) but made a few changes, which are now reflected on the recipe page. I used cream of coconut rather than coconut milk so that the coconut flavor would come through stronger. I just love coconut.

Dinner was a hit and I made my mama happy, so now I don't feel so bad about asking her to buy me new shoes for my prom dress. I love you mama!

Cranberry Tarragon Crab Cakes:

 

* 1/2 c light mayonnaise * 1/4 c dried cranberries * 1 1/2 t tarragon * 1/4 t black pepper * 1/4 t salt * 4 T butter, divided * 1/2 c finely chopped celery * 1/4 c finely chopped onion * 1 pound lump crabmeat (use the real stuff, it makes a difference) * 1 c Stove Top savory stuffing * 1 egg, lightly beaten * Lemon zest

 1. Mix mayo, cranberries, tarragon, pepper, and salt in a small bowl.2. Melt 1 T butter in a nonstick skillet, add celery and onion; cook and stir 5 min or until tender. Cool slightly.3. Gently mix crab meat and breading in a large bowl. Add egg, mayo, and celery mixtures; toss to coat well. 4. Shape into 6 large cakes or 14 small cakes. Refrigerate 15 minutes - overnight.5. Melt remaining 3 T butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add crab cakes; cook about 6 min or until golden brown, turning once. Be careful not to break the cake when you flip them. You can make this lighter by using vegetable oil or cooking spray instead of butter, but it was a holiday so I wanted everything to taste extra special. Another tip is to use real crab meat. It's a little bit of a splurge but so much better than imitation

Mojo Chicken

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I'm still on a short cupcake break.

Buuut in the spirit of the day, I'll share my mojo chicken marinade with you.

Mojo Marinade:
* 1 cup orange juice
* 1/2 cup lime juice (or 1/4 limeade and 1/4 squeezed lime). Reserve the squeezed lime.
* 1 1/2 t salt
* 1/2 t pepper (or lemon pepper)
* 2 pressed garlic cloves (or 1 t garlic powder)
* 1/2 t coriander

Rub the spices over the dry chicken breasts. Seal the breasts in a ziplock bag with the juices, pressed garlic, and lime rinds; stick in the fridge and let them marinate for a few hours (30 minutes minimum)