Portal Cake: The Cake is a Lie!

You will be baked, and then there will be cake. 

Remember This Cutie? I Sure Do!

An Austin Food Adventure!

Just yesterday I had a wonderful afternoon in Austin with my brother, sister-in-law, and wee nephew! We had lunch at Hop Daddy Burger Bar and the went to the candy store at The Domain to acquire some exceptionally delicious ginger ale. It's awesome to be back in my homeland where hot pepper spice is plentiful!

Beautiful citrus on display at the Hop Daddy bar.

Healthy tomatoes observed while traveling the line to order at Hop Daddy. 

Maine Root Prickly Pink Drink sweetened with agave nectar, and by prickly
they mean prickly pear. 'Cause in Texas, we drink our cactus. 

Green Chili Queso Fries

El Diablo Burger: Angus Beef, Pepper Jack, Caramelized Onions,
Habanero and Serrano Chiles, Salsa Roja, Chipotle Mayo

Refreshing and spicy unfiltered ginger ale. Highly recommended. 

Pie and Abomination

Pimp My Kitchenaid

A couple of months ago I inherited my mothers almond Kitchenaid. What to do with a retro mixer from my youth? Cover it in retro gaming decals through the magic of Etsy vendors. =D

Adventures in Cooking: Rhubarb Pie!

I had a great Skype chat with my parents this afternoon, and during this time my mother was baking a strawberry pie. Somehow we got on the idea of rhubarb, and I momentarily waxed nostalgic about the great little coffee shop next to the Eastman School of Music that always has strawberry rhubarb pie. Mmmm, the best...

Anyway, dad, having spent a reasonable amount of his childhood in the mid-west, recalled how good straight-up rhubarb pie was. I had heard rumors that rhubarb on its own was an angry fruit/veg? (the internet declares vegetable), so this sounded pretty intimidating. Dad was insistent that it was worth a try, considering on embarking on his own baking quest, and after discovering a recipe that seemed to simple to pass up, I gave it a shot this afternoon. The results, a delicious, tangy-sweet pie! BTW, the easy bit wasn't a joke. Yes, I cheated with Pillsbury pie crust, but you want easy party pie? This is definitely a winner. Recipe here!

Adventures in Cooking: Mochi!

I have recently been enjoying some food adventures, and the latest cooking party came in the form of mochi for friday movie night! Mochi are Japanese rice cakes, which have a really interesting, gummy texture, and are filled with all kinds of yummy stuffing. This one is filled with red bean paste acquired from a local Asian market. I also tried to make some to fill with matcha (powdered green tea) white chocolate genache, but it turns out white chocolate is a bit of a different bear to work with. So... it didn't set. No-heat fondu? In the tea cup is matcha latte!