Will it be Punxsutawney Phil or Buckeye Chuck? I will take the spring forecast predicted by the later as he is foretelling an early spring. Groundhogs are snarly and vicious if provoked by humans so the folklore surrounding their credibility as soothsayer meteorologists seems desperate to me. I can't speak for other parts of the country but, here in Ohio we have had our fair share of snow. This isn't all that unusual nor are the freezing temperatures. So if Buckeye Chuck offers a glimmer of hope to an early spring then who am I to question the integrity of a rodent.
I baked a wonderful Pecan Pound Cake the other day. Then followed it up with an Ice Cream Cake Roll. Have you ever eaten one of those delicious ice cream cakes from the queen of dairys? I discovered a quick version of those wonderful chocolate crunchies layered in with the decadent fudge. As an application in my cake roll though, the result was less than great. The chocolate crunchies make for rough slicing. The cake roll pretty much turned into a crushed looking cake like thing when I served it but, the flavor was pretty good.
I baked a basic chocolate cake roll in my jelly roll pan, followed the basic rule with cake rolls. With softened ice cream in hand, I slathered the entire roll with cookies and cream. At this point I should have left well enough alone but, I had to add those chocolate crunchies. The cake rolled up fine. It held it's shape while refreezing. Slicing this sucker was a nightmare though. The crunchies became so hard in the freezing process and the entire thing was a disaster. I will however use the crunchies again in a different layered situation.
Sometimes home cooks just do not measure things. I am passing along the basic process and giving you some inspiration not providing an exact recipe.
One dark chocolate bar melted together with a few tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave creates a product similar to the magic shell sold in the ice cream isle at your grocery store. Do this. Or buy Magic Shell.
Crunch up Oreo cookies to a nice crumble. Use the entire cookie. Pour your melted chocolate and coconut oil mixture over the crumbles and stir together. It looks like a goopy mess but the great thing about coconut oil is the properties which make it harden as it cools. That's it. This ingredient might not have worked well in my cake roll but, I think it will be fantastic in a layered cake.
Ice cream in February, why yes, please and thank you!
Groundhogs Day 2015 just another day in paradise......
P.S. also known as whistle pigs
I baked a wonderful Pecan Pound Cake the other day. Then followed it up with an Ice Cream Cake Roll. Have you ever eaten one of those delicious ice cream cakes from the queen of dairys? I discovered a quick version of those wonderful chocolate crunchies layered in with the decadent fudge. As an application in my cake roll though, the result was less than great. The chocolate crunchies make for rough slicing. The cake roll pretty much turned into a crushed looking cake like thing when I served it but, the flavor was pretty good.
I baked a basic chocolate cake roll in my jelly roll pan, followed the basic rule with cake rolls. With softened ice cream in hand, I slathered the entire roll with cookies and cream. At this point I should have left well enough alone but, I had to add those chocolate crunchies. The cake rolled up fine. It held it's shape while refreezing. Slicing this sucker was a nightmare though. The crunchies became so hard in the freezing process and the entire thing was a disaster. I will however use the crunchies again in a different layered situation.
Sometimes home cooks just do not measure things. I am passing along the basic process and giving you some inspiration not providing an exact recipe.
One dark chocolate bar melted together with a few tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave creates a product similar to the magic shell sold in the ice cream isle at your grocery store. Do this. Or buy Magic Shell.
Crunch up Oreo cookies to a nice crumble. Use the entire cookie. Pour your melted chocolate and coconut oil mixture over the crumbles and stir together. It looks like a goopy mess but the great thing about coconut oil is the properties which make it harden as it cools. That's it. This ingredient might not have worked well in my cake roll but, I think it will be fantastic in a layered cake.
Ice cream in February, why yes, please and thank you!
Groundhogs Day 2015 just another day in paradise......
P.S. also known as whistle pigs
We had a family of woodchucks (as they're known here) living in back of the farmhouse. One day, glancing out the kitchen window I saw one shimmy his way up the tree (not a pretty sight). It took me a bit to figure out what it was, but then I really got concerned for our little dog. You're right-those things are mean. Maybe not as mean as a badger, but I wouldn't want to grab a sleeping one out of a burrow to predict the weather.
ReplyDeleteAbout the previous post-I would have kept the shelf lining too. You have a beautiful old home, why on earth would anyone want to remodel it with a bunch of modern (cheaply made) items that wouldn't look right anyway? My heart breaks at the thought of all the beautiful natural wood cabinets that got painted white in the 90's.
Older homes can lack modern features that make life easier, like dishwashers and perfectly mapped out space within the kitchen for a refrigerator. My refrigerator just kinda hangs out in the kitchen and isn't neatly tucked in among cupboards. I'm just not a fussy person who cares about being updated and trendy. In fact, most of my kitchen storage is open shelving that we made and it's just fine by me.
ReplyDeleteGroundhogs, aside from being food for the coyotes what are their strengths within the overall earthly circle? Groundhogs were certainly mean humans in a former life.