"Gill" enjoying the beach...

In a previous post about Pet Friendly Travel, I wrote about traveling with your dog, and how wonderful the Loews Vanderbilt in Nashville was for this reason.  Well, they are now offering up a “Dog Days of Summer” package through August 31, 2010…

“No matter if your dog is a city slicker or beach lover, Loews Hotels puts the WOW in Bow Wow this summer with the Dog Days of Summer package. Included is a deluxe room, a special barbeque meal created by our Master Chef Marc Ehrler just for your hot dog – amazing “Scooby BBQ Sliders” that are veterinarian approved! We’ve partnered with Wendy Diamond pet expert and author of “It’s a Dog’s World” to provide tips on proper dog walking, also included is a “Fling Thing” Frisbee from West Paw Design perfect for catch in the park on a beautiful summer day.”

This cool package includes:

• Deluxe room
• “Scooby BBQ Sliders” meal for pets
• Fling Thing Frisbee from West Paw
• Dog Walking Tips from Pet Expert Wendy Diamond

Even if you can’t make it out to Nashville this summer to partake – we have got the recipe for the Scooby BBQ Summer Sliders for your dogs here.  Treat your dogs at your next BBQ. 

Scooby BBQ Summer Sliders

Ingredients:

4 oz Raw Ground Beef
2 oz Rendered Bacon, soft, chopped
3 slices Large Button Mushrooms
3 each “Pupperoni”
3 ea Mini Dog Biscuits
1 TB Parsley
1 tsp BBQ Sauce (NOT HOT)

Directions:

Mix ground beef, chopped rendered bacon, chopped parsley. Shape into 3″ patties. BBQ for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Place 3 patties on a rectangular plate. Garnish with pupperoni, mushroom. Top with mini dog biscuit. Drizzle the BBQ sauce on the plate.

Elmo Cake

I just had to share this adorable Elmo cake that my sister made.  She sent me the photos the other day…and I knew it had to go up on the site.  I am not entirely sure of the whole story behind this super cute Elmo cake, but I assume it was made for a birthday party.

How cute is Elmo?

Loews Loves Pets

Well, we are back – sigh – to our normal lives – sigh – after an awesome trip to Florida.  We stayed in Watersound – a lovely little town that I fell in love with.   I keep reminding myself that I can always return to Watersound…I can, and I will.   I will be posting about that part of the trip a bit later.  This post is dedicated to the trip there…with our two dogs, Gill and Cameron.

Traveling with dogs, I imagine, is similar to traveling with kids.  Snacks – check; toys – check; medicines – check, potty breaks – check.  One big difference in the two… all hotels allow kids, not all hotels allow your furry friends.  Thus, my hunt for a “decent” hotel that allowed pets was on. 

We knew Nashville, TN was about midway between Ohio and the destination – so that is where I focused my search.    I quick search online of “Pet Friendly Hotels Nashville” delivered some good results – the Loews Vanderbilt was one of them.  BTW…how did we ever survive without the internet?

The Loews Vanderbilt was the perfect fit for us.  Upscale, king bed, good size rooms…and pet friendly.  They even offered a “Pumped Up Pets” package that included comfy dog beds, dog dishes, dog dish mats and an amenity bag full of dog food, treats and toys.  It also included a meal for both dogs off of the specially designed pet room service menu.   

The contents of our "goody" bag

When arriving at the hotel I also noticed that they had water dishes for pets outside the entrance doors to the hotel…a sure sign that this was a hotel that truly caters to pets.  My only complaint was the rather small “bathroom” area they provided to walk the dogs.  It was outside the main doors, just past the valet service…lots of cars moving about and not a whole lot of grass for them to explore.  But, they did provide baggies and a bin.  I also did read that a dog park was not too far down the road.   We never did make it to the dog park…we were really only there to sleep. 

Gill loves the luxurious pet bedding

After the pain of unpacking the car, checking in and getting everyone settled in…we realized just how hungry were were.  We ordered off of the extensive room service menu…they ordered off of the pet room service menu.  Yes, a special pet room service menu – how funny is that? 

I was a bit hesitant in feeding them too much that was outside of their normal routine – especially since we were looking at another eight hours of travel in the morning.  I decided that this should be more of a snack.  We ordered up the  Chicken Chow Chow, a mixture of cooked chicken, green beans and carrots.  A very well balanced meal for the dogs; I was impressed, and so were they.   They are a bit spoiled… I know this.

Chicken Chow Chow

Despite the fact that Gill was wise awake and pacing around the room at 3:30 in the morning (he apparently does not like hotel rooms) – the experience at the Loews Vanderbilt was pleasant.  They provided us with everything you would need to travel comfortably with your pets.

- My Guide to Pet Friendly Travel Resources -

Several hotel chains offer pet friendly locations.  Here is a listing of the chains that offer the best selection worldwide. It is best advised to check with each individual hotel for restrictions.

Best Western Hotels  -  1800 of their US and Canadian locations welcome pets. 

Comfort Inns and Suites – 550 pet friendly locations nationwide.

Extended Stay Hotels – With 680 pet friendly locations, you are sure to find a location that suits your needs.

La Quinta – Over 700 pet friendly hotels from coast to coast.

Residence Inn by Marriot – A great pet friendly choice for you and your pet.   We stayed at a Residence Inn in Nashville on the way home from Florida.  Because of the full kitchen and separate ground floor access to the room,  it ended up being much more “convenient”  option than the upscale Loews Vanderbilt.   A good choice for anyone traveling with their pet.

Pet friendly travel websites:

PetsWelcome.com –  You can search by state through their database of pet friendly chain hotels.  

DogFriendly.com – Provides pet travel guides for dogs of all sizes and breeds.

Bring Fido – An excellent resource for pet friendly destinations, pet friendly hotels, pet friendly air travel and pet friendly restaurants in the US.   Nice website design as well.

PetTravel.com – When you are flying with your pet, the rules and restrictions can be confusing.  Check with PetTravel.com for information on pet friendly airlines, obtaining a pet passport and rules and guidelines for taking your pets into another country.

Edamame, Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Salad

I look at eating my Super Salad as my little nutritional insurance policy. It makes me feel like even if I ate nothing but pop tarts the rest of the day, at least I got a few servings of vegetables and nuts.  Because of this, we have some sort of salad with every dinner.  And a salad with every dinner equals salad burn out. 

If you too get salad burn out, try this one…my Edamame, Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Salad.  It is easy to make, and very tasty. You could even eat it like a salsa on tortilla chips.  Very healthy, very tasty, and very flexible.  You can tweak the recipe to fit your likes and dislikes.  Add more edamame, omit the green onion…any way, it will be yummy.

Edamame, Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups edamame, shelled and cooked to the package directions
• Small can of black beans, drained
• Small can of corn, you could also use frozen corn about 1 cup
• Small jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped.
• 3 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon heart healty oil – canola works well (you can substitute this with Italian dressing for a little extra flavor – I like Good Seasons Mild Italian)
• Small bunch of cilantro chopped
• 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Simply combine all of the ingredients and then season to taste.  Let the flavors come together by letting it sit for about an hour.  You can add more or less of the cayenne depending on how spicy you like it.

Did you know…if you stretched our posts end to end they would circle the globe 23 times?  Well, perhaps not.  I wish I had some super impressive but useless fact I could share about the enormous size and reach of our blog, but I don’t.   I do however have some real numbers to share.  Numbers that not only represent our hard work, but also our love of all things food related.   It’s all in a year’s work.

• 82 posts
• 192 comments
• 136,149 unique visitors
• 40 recipes
• 3 different layouts
• 4 different headers
• endless amounts of spam

Life With Cake is celebrating our 1 year anniversary!

We are already 8 days in to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and I am hooked.  The stories, the competition, the tragedy and triumph – this is what the Olympics are all about.

So what better way to celebrate and honor the 2010 Winter Olympic Games then with a collection of the best Winter Olympic inspired goodies I could find.  Really, this search was prompted by one shining example, Marian’s Olympic Mascot Cookies from Sweetopia.net.  She is a true sugar master.  The time that goes into these cookies is incredible.

Sweetopia's Olympic Mascot Cookies - Miga and Mukmuk

Sweetopia's Olympic Mascot Cookies - Quatchi

The mascots this year are comical.  Quatchi is  a sasquatch – how funny is that?  A sasquatch that wears boots and earmuffs no less.  And Mukmuk…a marmot. “Hey, nice marmot!”

Another great example of an Olympic inspired sweet is this is Olympic mascot cake done by Anne Elizabeth Cakes.  I love the mascots – she did an excellent job.

Anna Elizabeth Cake's Olympic Mascot Cake

Of course we need a cupcake – so here it is…the Olympic Ring cupcake done by Clever Cupcakes in Montreal, Canada.

Clever Cupcake's Olympic Ring Cupcake

Since the Olympics are being held in Vancouver, British Columbia we should probably have a native dessert as well.  The Nanaimo bar is named for the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia and consists of wafer layer, a custard layer and then is covered in chocolate.    Here, The Kitchn shows us their version of this Olympic inspired treat.

Yum...Olympic Inspired Nanaimo Bars

I hope this inspires you to make your own Olympic themed treats  to eat while cheering on Team USA, of course.  Win Big Team USA – you make me proud to be an American!

Coconut Cream Pie made with Dream Whip

There was a small blip in history – I remember it well – when my mom jumped onto the cream pie bandwagon.  It had to be late 80s, maybe even the early 90s, when my mom would prepare these incredible cream pies; Banana Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie and so many other creamy flavors – all delicious.  Her secret…(quiet now)…Dream Whip. 

Ever heard of it?  If you are over 40, perhaps you have; Dream Whip is powdered non-dairy dessert topping mix that was invented in 1957 by the Birds Eye Division of General Foods. Yes, non-dairy topping – Ewww!  The sound of anything non-dairy scares me…but don’t give up on this post yet.  Dream Whip has its place in your cupboard, I promise. 

Kraft Foods, who has since merged with Birds Eye, now owns Dream Whip.  Kraft certainly has the whipped topping market cornered; they also own competitor Cool Whip and Redi-Whip, surprisingly.  The Kraft website states “With Dream Whip Topping Mix in your cupboard, you never need to go without a topping!”  Well there you go…you will never have to go without a whipped topping ever again with this fantastic little box of magical powder.  Thank goodness I never have “whipped topping” emergencies. 

Ok, so it doesn’t make the best topping….what is it good for then?   For starters, Dream Whip can be prepared and then mixed into cakes to add moisture and fluffiness.  It can also be mixed with pudding or other pie fillings to become a light, fluffy, dreamy mixture.  This is the absolute best use for it in my opinion.    

Go ahead, give Dream Whip a chance with this Coconut Cream Pie recipe. The addition of Dream Whip creates a velvety consistency that is unlike any other cream pie.  This Coconut Cream Pie recipe has another twist – it uses animal crackers for the pie crust instead of your usual graham cracker crust.  

Dreamy Coconut Cream Pie 

Ingredients: 

• 2 (1 1/3 ounce) envelopes Dream Whip brand whipped dessert topping mix
• 2 3/4 cups cold milk, divided
• 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• 2 packages (4-serving size) JELL-O instant vanilla pudding
• 1 ½ cups crushed animal crackers
• 6 tablespoons of melted butter
• ½ pint whipping cream

Directions: 

1.)  Prepare your crust by mixing the animal cracker crumbs together with the melted butter.  Pat them down into a pie plate, covering the sides and bottom.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Once it is baked, set aside to cool. 

Crush these animal crackers for the perfect pie crust

2.)  If you haven’t toasted your coconut yet, do so now.  Simply place shredded coconut in the pan over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until this is browned slightly on the edges.   Set aside to cool. 

Perfectly toasted coconut

3.)  Beat Dream Whip whipped topping mix and 1 cup of the milk in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms peaks. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups milk and pudding mixes; blend on low speed. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. 

4.)  Fold in ¾ cup of the toasted coconut.  Set the rest aside for the top. 

5.)  Spoon the mixture into your baked crust. 

6.)  Whip your  cream with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.  Spoon over your pie filling.  

7.)  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  After it has filling has set, sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top of your pie before serving so it remains crisp. Serve and enjoy. 

My Version of Hummingbird Cake

Baking is a science. Unlike cooking which allows you to add a pinch of this and a tad of that to taste, baking recipes need to be followed to a tee.  Otherwise, the result can be disastrous.

I, like many great bakers, borrow recipes and ideas from the pros.  There are always certain things you can do to put your signature on a recipe and make it your own.  Let’s take Hummingbird Cake for example…there are so many variations of this cake out there for you to try.  My personal favorite is Paula Dean’s version of Hummingbird Cake. Her version is delicious as is, but I wanted to make this recipe my own and give it a personal twist.

As a guideline, I never mess with the amount or type of flour used in a recipe.  The leavening agents are also something I stay spot on with.  When it comes to sugar you can probably get away with adding a bit less, but I wouldn’t recommend changing the actual “type” of sugar. Brown sugar has more moisture than granulated sugar and some sweeteners such as Splenda or Equal don’t translate the same as granulated sugar.  I must not forget to mention that calorie-free sweeteners can leave an unpleasant aftertaste in your baked goods as well as cause them not to rise up. 

Changes should be subtle…adding a different kind of nut, chip or spice.  Making a recipe your own can even be as simple as adding slightly more of one ingredient.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a cuckoo for coconut – it is one of my favorite ingredients to work with.  Simply adding a ½ cup of sweetened flake coconut to this Hummingbird Cake created a whole new layer of flavor and a bit more texture.

The next twist I made on this Hummingbird Cake recipe was replacing the finely chopped pecans with more roughly chopped toasted pecans.

***Chefs Note on Toasting Pecans***

To toast pecans simply place them in a dry pan over medium heat.  Be sure to keep an eye on them and stir often.  Pecans have oil in them that left unattended can burn. And no one wants burnt nuts in their cake.  You will know when they are done when they smell aromatic and are slightly browned

The last change I made to this Hummingbird Cake recipe was to kick up the cinnamon.  To bump up the warmth cinnamon can add, I increased the amount of cinnamon to 1 ½ teaspoons. 

I finished the cake with cream cheese icing, toasted coconut and whole toasted pecans. 

I am still learning about the science behind cake baking.  For more information on this topic check out these sites:

About.com – Baking Ingredient Science

WilliePrejean’s Baking and Baking Science

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients
Serves 12

FOR THE CAKE

• Nonstick vegetable spray
•  All-purpose flour, for pans
•  3 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
•  3/4 cup vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
•  2 very ripe large bananas, mashed
• 1 (8-ounce) crushed pineapple, with juice
•  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs, beaten

 FOR THE FROSTING

• 1 pound (1 box) confectioners’ sugar, (for the frosting)
• 1 (8-ounces) cream cheese, room temperature (for the frosting)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened (for the frosting)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, (for the frosting)
• 1 tablespoon milk, or more if needed (for the frosting)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, (for the frosting)

****(My changes to this recipe include…adding ½ cup sweetened flake coconut, larger toasted pecans and ½ teaspoon more cinnamon)

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.

2.   Prepare the cake; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs.

3.   Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.

4.   Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.

5.   Prepare the frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk on medium speed until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve the proper spreading consistency.

6.   Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1/4 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1/4 of the frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Remove parchment paper strips; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Wood Photography

December is a month full of activities.  Holidays, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and if you have children, well they are home from school for half the month.  This past December I took on a new task, one that was not only stressful but also worthwhile as it would test both my organization and baking abilities…I signed on to do my first wedding.

Weddings are a whole other department in the baking world.  This isn’t just someone’s graduation cake or birthday cake…this was someone’s WEDDING!  Most brides want it to be the most perfect day of their entire life…that’s a lot to live up to. 

The bride and I met back in April for a cake tasting. She sampled the four flavors of cake I had so skillfully prepared…Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Butterceam, Spice Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream, Funfetti with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and Strawberry Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

Along with eating cake we discussed her vision for the wedding.  One thing that remained an unchanged constant was the wedding cake.  She brought me a photograph from Real Simple, the cake was elegant and understated…quilted white fondant with silver floral and pearl accents – perfect for a winter wedding. 

Fondant that has a quilted effect and pearl accents.

The wedding cake was going to be used simply for display and the cutting ceremony; whereas, the cupcakes were to be served as the actual dessert. The bride wanted each guest to receive three mini cupcakes, in three different flavors: chocolate, spice and funfetti.  Each cupcake would be decorated with a gum paste flower that would mimic the flowers on the wedding cake. 

The wedding cake consisted of three layers, each a different flavor.  The bottom layer was Funfetti Cake; Funfetti being the bride’s favorite cake flavor from her childhood.  The middle layer was Chocolate Cake…who doesn’t like chocolate?  The top of the wedding cake was Spice Cake; her fiancé’s personal favorite.

Once the month of December hit, my stomach went into knots.  I found myself thinking about it day and night.  Was I up to this challenge?  I found my mind racing at night while lying in bed.  “How much butter?”, “How many eggs?”, “How much gum paste is needed for 650 daisies?”. 

Gum Paste Daisies, 650 of them...

One thing I knew for certain is that I needed to organize myself by creating a timeline.  The timeline was crucial for staying on task. Baking is the easy part in my eyes.  The real time comes in the decorations and details. 

The gum paste flowers for 650 mini cupcakes were definitely the first order of business. The next step was figuring out how much butter, sugar, flour, etc. I would need.  I did this by breaking down recipes and with a couple of calculations…viola, the list was together. 

The week of the wedding came and I had briefed my family on the rules.  There was to be no whining, no hanging out in my work space, no friends over, and we would be doing a lot of carryout meals. 

The kitchen became more of an assembly line on certain nights with my good friend Bridget and my husband Tom working the line. They were incredibly helpful…love you guys!  Somehow it all came together just in time.  I officially have a wedding under my belt, and boy am I proud of myself and my work.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Wood Photography - www.JoshuaJWood.com

Special thanks to photographer, Joshua Wood, for the use of his gorgeous photos of the cake and wedding. www.JoshuaJWood.com

How much do I love entertaining?  I guess I like taking care of people, or perhaps it just satisfies that need to always have something to plan and look forward to. 

This year, like many past years, we decided to have a few friends over to ring in the New Year.  This was a last minute decision, so the menu was rather last minute. My menu had to be tasty…comforting…and logistically easy to eat. Luckily, Martha had some great suggestions for me.

……………………………………………
My New Year’s Eve Menu

Baked Chick Pea Nibbles

Grilled Tomato Crostini

Artichoke Parmesan Crostini

Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tarts
thyme & honey

Twice Cooked Potatoes
chihuahua cheese & chives

Chicken Satays
spicy peanut sauce

Beef Tenderloin
gorgonzola cheese, arugula on crostini

White Chocolate Fondue
mixed berries, pineapple, banana slices & almond biscotti
……………………………………………

The Baked Chick Pea Nibbles are a healthy alternative to other snacky type food and they taste pretty good.  I would suggest baking them a bit longer, and seasoning them a bit more heavily.  You want them very crunchy.  I also put out mixed nuts along with these.  I always appreciate something to nibble on when they are sipping cocktails.

Chick Pea Nibbles and Cashews

The two crostini recipes are a no brainer.  Grilled bread and good toppings, easy to eat and satisfying. 

Grilled Tomato Crostini

I love caramelized onions with goat cheese – it is a classic combination of flavors.  I dress these little tarts up with a drizzle of honey for an unexpected surprise of sweet. 

Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tarts

The Twice Cooked Potato recipe was modified.  I omitted the caviar (couldn’t find any), and added cheese and extra sour cream to make them more like a miniature twice baked potatoes. The Chihuahua cheese melts really well, which made them nice and gooey. I ended up pressing the potato mixture through a mesh strainer, so the mixture ended up smooth and creamy.  

I marinated the Chicken Satays in the soy mixture a few hours ahead of the party.  I doubled the soy, omitted the sesame oil and replaced with a hot chili oil – I also added a bit of honey.  At party time, I simply threw them on my indoor grill, and served them up hot with the spicy peanut sauce. Since I used natural peanut butter, I needed to modify the recipe by adding honey for sweetness.  I also thinned it out with about a tablespoon of soy.

The Beef Tenderloin is something we always serve.  Simply cook the beef to your temp. liking and serve with a gorgonzola cheese, arugula and crostini.  I serve it all on a big platter, it makes a nice presentation. 

For an easy dessert, try the White Chocolate Fondue.  With this fondue, you don’t even need a fondue pot – you can simply heat it on the stove and serve it in a bowl.  It will stay smooth and creamy without hardening up on you.  It is also a nice change from the classic Milk Chocolate Fondue. 

White Chocolate Fondue with Berries & Fruit

I created colorful menu item cards for the table.  They were done in the same colors of my napkins and centerpiece.  At the end of the night, everyone left with some colorful sugar cookies – also in the same colors. 

Handmade Menu Cards

A toast to the New Year with White Star and then we called it a night.  Another year in the books…. 

Colorful, Festive Sugar Cookies