Brunch Cakes

I hate bundt pans. I can't tell you the last time was that I managed to get a cake out of a bundt pan successfully. I made a Coffee Swirl Cake for the "booze and breakfast" or "brunch". I can use about 2/3 of the cake since the rest of it either stuck to the pan or broke away from the bottom of the cake. It's good and I'll eat it. I just can't use it for presentation, dammit.

Betty Crocker's Coffee Swirl Cake

1/4 cup instant coffee granules or crystals

1 tablespoon hot water

3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened

2 3/4 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan or 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan with shortening; lightly flour. In small bowl, mix coffee and hot water; cool 10 minutes.

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture, milk and sour cream on low speed until blended.

Remove 1 cup of the batter; stir into cooled coffee. Pour remaining batter into pan. Drop coffee batter by about 12 tablespoonfuls onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with knife for marbled design.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool at least 1 hour 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

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I had better luck with the Buttermilk- Lime Tea Bread. That at least came out of the pan. Next time though, I'll double the lemon/sugar syrup.

Betty Crocker's Buttermilk- Lime Tea Bread

Oh, I'm too lazy to type this recipe right now.

Bike Week Brunch?

I'm kinda thinking about having a Bike Week brunch. I can't afford it and I should just relax, but for some reason I really want to have people over for brunch, of all things. I checked out the foodnetwork.com site and the first thing I saw was their section on brunches. I found so many brunch drink recipes. I can't wait to try them. I also picked up a magazine on brunch foods last night at Publix. Yep, I wanna do a brunch. It's such a biker thing, don'cha think?

I would have it on the first Saturday of Bike Week, but Ricky won't be here yet. My second choice would be on the second Saturday of Bike Week but that is the same day as the party I'm not going to. If I have it on that day, all sorts of accusations will be made. I don't feel like dealing with the bullshit. The first Sunday sounds like the day, but it is far from perfect since Marvin won't be here yet. But depending on how it goes, maybe I'll have TWO. Marvin could come to the second one. Notice how this started out as one brunch and now already I'm having two. I'm like a deranged tattooed Martha Stewart.

But anyhoo . . . check out some of these recipes . . .

Bloody Mary Flank Steaks

Grapefruit Margarita

Orange Cream Mimosa

Melon Juice with Champagne (or Prosecco)

Spicy Citrus Bloody Mary

Champagne Lemonade

Peach Ginger Bellini

Another Food Related Cornball Joke

Well, Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam.'

Of course, they wanted the best for Yam.

When it was time, they told her about the facts of life.

They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato,' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots.

Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her!

But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either.

She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

When she went off to Europe, Mr and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland .

And the greasy guys from France called the French Fries. And when she went out west, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.

Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say, 'Frito Lay.'

Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University) so that when she graduated she'd really be in the Chips.

But in spite of all they did for her, one-day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw!

Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset.

They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just.......

Are you ready for this?


Are you sure?

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OK! Here it is!

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A COMMON TATER

Roasted Peppers

I'm on a roasted pepper kick. I've probably roasted a dozen red bell peppers this week. I did eight today because I want to try that pepper gratin recipe that I was talking about last week. I'll peel them and slice them tomorrow. I also made pickles.

Bike Week prep - we now have a cocktail shaker. We'll need it for "Cocktail of the Day". And I got the recipe for those pineapple upside down cake shots. Mmmmmmm.

I'm a dufus

All the pics of the pig roast that were emailed to me just weren't usable. They had a lot of faces in them and I didn't feel comfortable putting them up. Oh well. But am I a dufus or what? I get invited to a food event and I don't bring my camera.

Ricky and I have something planned for the blog during Bike Week. Nobody else really cares, but we'll have fun.

Piggy

My fat pants are tight on me. It's at the point where I have to DO something so it looks like it's back to low carb. So for two weeks I can't eat cereal, pasta, fruit, potatoes, sugar . . . and on and on. There isn't too much I can eat besides meat, fish, and veggies.

So I'm sitting here trying to think of what to buy on my Sunday trip to Publix. I'm having steak on the grill for dinner. I don't know if it's gonna be salad or brussel sprouts as an accompaniment. I'm gonna grill a shitload of red peppers with the steaks. I found a recipe for a red pepper gratin and I can eat it.

I went to a pig roast last night in New Smryna with a woman I work with, Marilyn. They did the pig in a pit. (They actually killed it themselves too, but that's another story) Marilyn stuffed it with rice and pineapple. I forgot my freakin' camera and I could have gotten some great pics. They had massive amounts of food. I had baked beans with bacon, a very tasty broccoli casserole ( I have to ask for the recipe), homemade cole slaw, and so much other stuff. The dessert table wasn't too shabby either. I had something called sex cake which was delectable and another cake called a Harvey Wallbanger cake. I also tasted some smooth moonshine.

I spent a good amount of time talking to a woman who was taking pics and she said she'll email me some, so hopefully I'll have a pic of the piggy.