Happy Birthday, Kitty-mom!

Last Saturday was a flawless day in Virginia Beach, perfect for celebrating a milestone birthday. We decided on a cocktail party with an Alice in Wonderland theme. The guests arrived wearing themed hats!!

My sister Emily made truffled deviled eggs, which were heavenly. The food was simple yet elegant, and by the end of the party, it was gone. A good indication that it was a success!! Beets on arugula with goat cheese and chopped walnuts, dates drizzled with honey and manchego cheese, figs with balsamic glaze, Parmesan cheese and fresh black pepper, Louisiana pickled shrimp, hearts of palm stuffed with bleu cheese, baby fingerling potatoes with caviar and sour cream... It was one of those spreads where one thing just looked better than the next!!

We were entertained by the fabulous Steve Organ, who sang and played his guitar throughout the event. The cake was masterfully made by Burgess Hodges!

The party was an enormous success. Fun was had by all, especially the birthday girl. I can't wait for next year...and the eggs.

Easy Ambrosia Cake- Happy Birthday Me!!

My niece, Savvy, happened to be visiting on my birthday, so I asked (forced) her to bake my birthday cake. To her credit, she was willing to take on a difficult cake, but I didn't have the heart to make her do that. We found a recipe to tweak a boxed cake mix and decided to give it a whirl. If you love ambrosia, this cake's for you!

1 package moist yellow cake mix (we used Duncan Hines)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1x11 ounce can of mandarin orange segments
1x8 oz. container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
1x20 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
1x3.5 package instant vanilla pudding mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan.



In a large bowl, break and beat eggs, add cake mix, oil and mandarin oranges with juice. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.





To make the topping, mix together the thawed whipped topping, crushed pineapple with juice and vanilla pudding mix. Let it sit in refrigerator to set for a couple of hours, then it's ready to frost!

We sliced the cake in half since we wanted a layer cake- you could also use three round pans- we didn't think of that! It came out beautifully anyway.

The taste of the cake is definitely reminiscent of ambrosia, and it's delicious. Not too sweet- not too rich- just right. Very easy to make. Exactly the recipe we were looking for!

Give it a try the next time you guilt a teenager into baking you a birthday cake, it works like a charm! Thank you, Savvy...and the eggs :)

Happy 70th Birthday, Mom!

Here she is, in a very rare moment of relaxation. My mother is not the laid back type, she is always busy doing something, but I guess that's why she looks so good at age 70!

This week, a book I have been waiting for arrived from Amazon. It's a Ruth Reichl book entitled Not Becoming My Mother & other things she taught me along the way. To be perfectly honest, I didn't see the "and other things she taught me..." part of the title until the book arrived. Not becoming my mother has been one of the focuses of my adult life, and all the while I thought that was my bit of rebellion. Turns out that (just like Ruth's mother) I suppose that's what my mother wants. That's what parents want- for you to have it better than they did. For you to take advantage of the times and attitudes in the world in ways they were less encouraged to. For you to not become them but perhaps to become, in some way, a better them. I certainly haven't lived up to that, but I am fortunate and thankful to have the opportunity to tell her that I'm trying.

Here she is on my birthday making my cake. Mom, happy birthday, I love you and I wish I was there to make you a birthday cake...and the eggs.

JB and the Captain!

We're in Richmond, Virginia for the wedding of my sister and Steve!! Their friend Teri of Celebrations Catering is doing the food for the wedding, so check back for pictures next week! Our friend Burgess has a brand new cake company out of Portsmouth, Virginia- and created an amazing groom's cake shaped like a keyboard (Steve is a musician)- so check back for a post all about the new company, complete with recent cakes they have created.

It will be a weekend to remember...and the eggs!!

Happy 50th Birthday, JAM!

My brother in law turns 50 years old today!  We celebrated with him over the weekend with a pool party (what else?!) and some family favorites, including ambrosia salad, "funeral beans" (which, while they may not be pretty, are the best baked beans going) and pickled eggs and beets made by his parents.  

His cousin, Cynthia, won the prize for traveling the furthest for the occasion- she drove from Panama City to bring him this hideous gift we pass back and forth every few years.



We had a fun day, I hope he did too. Now if he would just get that lamp out of my house.  Happy birthday, JAM --and many, many more...and the eggs.

PIG ROAST!!!

WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHS THROUGHOUT THIS POST.

It was a beautiful, clear December day in Rockledge, Florida, near Cocoa Beach, on the day of Heather and Jorge's pig roast! Roasting a pig is a latino tradition at Christmas and New Years. We enjoyed ours just before Christmas at the lovely home of TLMM's cousins Jackie and Glenn. Their son-in-law, Jorge, is an expert pig roaster, and the cooked pig that he made was easily the most delicious pork I have ever tasted in all of my years on this earth.

Jorge ordered the 75 pound pig from Publix, and they ordered it from Sysco. It would yield approximately 30 pounds of meat, which would feed 70 people. He started by simmering the ingredients he would use to inject into the meat. Saute a head of cleaned garlic in 3/4 a cup of olive oil. Add a few sliced onions. Let it simmer for 10 minutes and add 1/2 a bottle of Mojo Seasoning. Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients, and put the resulting sauce in an injector. Inject generously in several places into the meat of the pig.

Jorge uses a Caja China- readily available in South Florida.  It is designed perfectly to transfer the heat from the charcoal which will be on top of the cooker to the inside for slow, even cooking.  We had 70 pounds of charcoal but had 2 bags left.  Better to have too many bags than too few.

Cover drip pan with aluminum foil.

Pig.  Jorge attached it to the rack before he injected the mojo into it.  

Place pig in cooker.

Secure grate.  

It's a dirty job.

Jorge placed the charcoal around the perimeter of the grate to start- because the thickest meat of the pig is concentrated on the outer part of the cooker. Light charcoal.

As the charcoal heats and begins to break down, add more.  Let the pig stay in the cooker undisturbed for three hours for a 70 pound pig.  

After three hours, open the cooker and enlist a lovely assistant to flip the pig.  Jorge's assistant that day was JAM, by brother-in-law.

Remove the charcoal grate and put it on a non flammable surface.  Remove the pig and put it on a clean surface.

This is what happens when you put a grate full of hot charcoal on the grass. Homeowner might not be happy.  Give him a beer or a glass of wine- it eases the loss.

Flip pig, put it back in the cooker and then cover with charcoal grate.  Load up with more charcoal and this time fill the center of the grate with coals too- keep the heat coming.

An hour before you want the pig to be cooked, load up the center with coals for an extra blast of heat.  This will ensure a very crispy outer skin, and worked like a charm.

Time for the unveiling.

Oh yeah, baby.

The chef!

Place the pig on a clean surface.  Pull off pieces of the pig's ear and crispy skin for the onlookers.  C'mon, have some.  The first time that flavorful, crispy meat touches your lips, you will get over the gruesome scene.  Well, at least I did.

Since you have bought a few large aluminum containers, cut the meat out of the pig and place chunks and pieces in the container.  The feast begins the minute it is carried to the table.  Our feast consisted of the pig, rice and red beans, salad and rolls.  Glenn and Jorge made Usinger's sausage during the day- several varieties (from mild to spicy) ordered from the famous Milwaukee outfit.  Glenn first parboiled them with beer and then put them on the grill.   Sliced and placed on the buffet table, they were warm and wonderful and helped curb our hunger as we waited for the main event.  

Hanging out with Chef Jorge and taking notes and photos was great fun.   I also ended up with a chunk of the chef's treat on my plate.  A piece of meat from above the rib.  There are no words to describe the simple yet complex taste and soft warm texture of the meat.  It was unbelievably good.  It was heaven.  

Since my food journey started with a bite of ham at age 11, it is only appropriate that my blog should end with this post.  A flawless Florida day surrounded by family, simply wonderful food, good rum and much good cheer.   

Thank you for reading- now go make your own food memories...and the eggs.

Ben and Ashley

Carillon Beach, just outside of Panama Beach, Florida, is the perfect spot for a wedding. This is especially true during this time of year since the beach community is just entering off-season and you can practically have the place to yourself. The fact that the days are warm and picture-perfect and the nights are cool is just icing on the wedding cake. Having traveled north from Miami, I can't imagine why anyone would want to go there during the heat of the summer!



The wedding events were all centered at Carillon Beach- the rehearsal dinner was held at Graffiti's on Friday night, and on Saturday night for the main event, we gathered close by at this beautiful small chapel which held 40 people. There were cocktails and hors d'ouvres just outside the chapel on a huge deck overlooking the water, and then dinner materialized- buffet style- on the other side of the chapel. Tables were set up in the chapel and on the deck as dinner and more drinks ensued. Here is a taste of what we tasted:











Being on a low carb regimen, I just had to take what I could eat when I saw it- not knowing what was down the line! Well, there was plenty down the line, and this is the plate I ended up with!



This is one of the most intimate gatherings I have ever had the pleasure to attend. Experiencing a small wedding made me realize how much the meaning of the event is enhanced by having the people who mean the most to you (and who the wedding means the most to) by your side. It was a gorgeous event in every way. Thank you and congratulations, Ben and Ashley...and the eggs.