Italian Cream Cake

So, for some reason 2/3 of my children were born in March.  Aside from knowing that June must have been a busy month for me for a few years in the '70s, what that says about me is that I had to be pretty creative to make each kid feel like they were having their own special day.  Unfortunately, I did combine the birthdays a time or two (the first time being Sheli's 4th birthday when I gave her a little brother [she wanted a Barbie] as a gift then held her party a week late) most recently when they were teens and I offered to cook lasagna (Marc's favorite, not Sheli's) for their dinner.  Needless to say, I've learned from my mistakes and try a lot harder these days to acknowledge each person individually.  Marc got a carrot cake this year (from a box) and dinner out.  Sheli got an Italian cream cake made from scratch.  Even with the dinner, Marc came up at a loss this year.  That Italian cream was the bomb!!

So, here's the recipe and I would hope that all of you will let me know when you're pulling yours out of the oven so I'll have time to get us a cup of coffee on my way over!!

1 cup buttermilk
1tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour


Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour three 9" round cake pans and set aside.
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.  By hand, stir in eggs, buttermilk mixture, vanilla, coconut, baking powder and flour.  Stir until just combined.  Divide batter equally between pans.

Bake in preheated over for 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool before frosting.

To Make Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 TBSP light cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until mixed well.  Add confectioner's sugar, half a cup at a time, until light and fluffy.  Use caution making frosting too sweet.  Use cream to thin to spreadable consistency.  Stir in nuts and coconut.  Spread between layers and on top of cake.

Getting Gruene

Early last month Mits discovered that Raul Malo was coming to Gruene Hall so a plan was hatched for a girls trip down to south Texas to see him.  Unfortunately, there are so many more Raul Malo fans than we'd anticipated; the show sold out rather quickly and we missed the chance to actually see him.  Even so, Mits and B assured me we'd be able to hear him since he was playing the oldest dance hall in Texas and it wouldn't have been soundproofed when it was built.  Even considering the possibility of being arrested for dancing in public I was more than up for it!!  But then the ice storm hit and the roads were so bad we had to reschedule.  So, in spite of the possibility of unpredictable weather, we chose the last weekend in February; I took heart from the sight of B's quince in bloom and decided that even without Raul this was going to be a great getaway!! 

Always on the lookout for possible competition in her quest to be the BEST FRIED PIE MAKER IN THE NATION, as well as being the sort to consider we'd left home without breakfast, Sister spotted a billboard for "The Original Fried Pie Shop" located in an Exxon station right off IH35 just another exit or two down the road and pointed it out.  Of course we stopped!  The lady in the window looked familiar until I realized it was B with make-up, a bouffant, and glasses!!  But as I walked through the aisles of "Texas-sized" sunglasses and tools I truly had my doubts about what we'd gotten ourselves into; I decided to cut my losses and take a Zegrid before I even saw the pies.  I wish I could say they were awful.  I wish I could say they were rubbery and dry and tasteless.  I can't.  I opted for a bacon and egg breakfast pie.  Aside from being really salty (due, I decided, to the use of real salt-cured bacon) mine was delicious.  We left with plenty of ideas on new flavors of pies but we all agreed that B reigns supreme as the Fried Pie Queen.

We drove straight to our accommodations for the night; a beautiful 1905 Victorian House just outside of Gruene at Acorn Hill B&B.  The setting leaves a lot to be desired, but the house itself more than makes up for that.  Although our initial reaction wasn't all that great when we discovered wasps hosting a soiree in the front parlor!!  We called the innkeeper to deal with it and took off for town.

Having grown up in a small town, I have never become accustomed to big city living in spite of my 30 plus years of doing just that.  I don't walk the streets of my neighborhood alone and I certainly don't leave my doors unlocked.  But I long to do just those things and a town like Gruene would be ideal for someone like me!!  Except for the hoards of people who come to town on the weekends to shop and listen to music.  I suppose though, if I had a little house out away from town I could deal.  I'd like to try anyway.
Aside from the dance hall, Gruene has a number of shops, from antiques to gourmet food to music.  A "must stop" would be Lonestar Music where you can still purchase LPs!!  We went back on Sunday to get a Reckless Kelly CD after hearing them while we walked the streets Saturday night taking pictures.

We found an assortment of interesting items in the Gruene Antique Company, many of which were a bit too bizarre even for me!!  I did consider that the Civil War-era glass eyeballs would have been perfect for Hallowe'en, but at $45 an eye, I decided they would just have to stay in the display case.

We decided to lunch at The Grist Mill which serves unbelievably tasty meals inside an amazing building that rambles along the hillside above the Guadalupe River.  Our seats were not "riverside" but the view was gorgeous just the same and it was hard to decide if what was outside could even compare to what was inside!!  The glass windows seem to grow out of the brick walls and many trees and vines have been left to creep and tower as they will from the ground beneath the building (this picture was taken from our table, looking into another dining area through a hole in the wall).  It is what I imagine all old ruins should look like, but this one also provides tender juicy chicken in your salad, fresh al dente spinach for your quesadillas and onion rings as wide as a razor strap!!  Didn't order those, but they're on the list for next time.

Back at the house with a freshly uncorked bottle of wine, we kicked back and soaked in the ambiance of our beautiful little house secretly wishing it was really ours and discussing all the things we could do in it and to it and from it.  Most of all, we gained an appreciation for the effects of soft colors in large spaces and small accents well-placed.

We all found things to appreciate and make note of for future use.  For instance, I have finally figured out exactly what the built-ins in my living room should look like.  Now I just have to convince Daddio that they're perfect enough to warrant ditching the backless and unsteady, much too deep, freestanding shelves that have been a mainstay in our house longer than moi.  They are nothing more than dust-catchers and non-too-pretty to boot!!  Hopefully, he'll see the aesthetic functionality of this style instead of focusing on the green of the background wall.
All in all I think we had a successful trip.  We never had to break out Mr. Sock or the heavy headache drugs (oh, there are stories we all can tell!!) although another 100 miles of driving could have changed that.  But then, another 100 miles of driving would have had us in Port Aransas, so maybe not.  We were sad to leave and anxious to come again.  And I'm already planning at least one trip-related mini-scrapbook.  Guess that makes Gruene a keeper!!

Guest Services

Last night a bunch of us got together to meet my niece's good friend, Kat, from Iowa.  Normally, we don't need the excuse of a new family member to get together and eat, but we were being nice letting Kat think she was the reason for strappin' on the feedbags.

And what a feed it was!!!


I made some standard fare, queso dip and guacamole (which was AWESOME, if I do say so!!) but Sister outdid herself with cheese and onion enchiladas and build-your-own beef tostadas.  We had cake and banana nut bread and pralines too, but the BEST of the sweets was Sheli's Fruit Salsa!!  My girl introduced this incredible and quite versatile dish to the family a couple of years ago and it has become as big a standard for our family gatherings as Deviled Eggs.  So far I've tried the leftovers on toast and in my salad but I'm still debating if I think it will go well on a dish of Blue Bell.

Fruit Salsa

1 Fuji apple - peeled, cored and diced

1 cup diced fresh strawberries

2 kiwis - peeled and diced

2 bananas - peeled and diced

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hrs. 

Serve with cinnamon & sugar pita chips.

The big warm-up

The last few days have been really warm and sunny.  You'd almost think Spring is in the air, but it's just a bit too soon still.  However, it is nice to walk outside in shirtsleeves and no coat and not hear that little voice in your head (no, I don't know which little voice it is; there are far too many to name them all) saying "Hey stupid, you forgot your coat!!"
Even so, I'm not really looking forward to the warm up so much.  Last summer is still far too fresh in my mind (we weren't blogging then, but for those who were close enough to hear me screaming in frustration, it got up to 90 degrees INSIDE my house at one point... WITH the A/C on!!)

I did manage to venture outdoors a couple of times with camera in hand and it was nice to be out even though the landscape for the most part continues to look dead and my sinuses are telling me repeatedly and with conviction that I am foolish to assume there won't be anything worth sneezing over.  The best part was spending time with The Tater Tot in the park; I know he'd be outside all day every day if we'd only let him.  And knowing this makes me wish even more for a home with a boy-sized backyard!!
As I type, it's 81 degrees and the A/C is on...  I am in a state of rebellion.  I do not want it to be summertime.  I baked banana nut bread in protest.

Compounded problem

Sister and I have been talking for some time about the possibility of moving into a house together.  Me, Daddio, Sister, Mr. Lee, Mits, and possibly Mema all under one roof.  Or maybe two.  The idea has a lot of merit but the details may require a bit more gnawing on.

When we first started discussing it, we worked out in pretty short order what would happen in practical terms inside the house.  I clean, she cooks, 'nuf said.  But there's so much more to it than just the simple every day tasks that keep a house running.

Money, for instance.

Who will work and provide payment for the groceries and cleaning supplies?  The A/C and heat?  The feed for the donkey?

Oh yes, there WILL be a donkey!!

When I threw this idea out for my immediate family to dissect, it was met with some enthusiasm.  Which was a bit of a surprise but in hindsight makes a lot of sense.  After all, my kids aren't all that crazy about the idea of the old folks moving in with them when the time comes.  And too, we all loved the house on the lake when Mema and Papa lived there; it stands to reason we all want something in the way of that again.

I have no idea where or when or how.  There are far more unanswered questions right now than cemented plans.  But I'm having a good time dreaming about "some day" just the same...

 

Some beach...

This cold, cold, cold is making me wish for warm Gulf breezes!!!  But there's still a lot of winter left before we can even dream of flip-flops.  And Sister still has to get that hot air balloon ride in.  So, in the interest of chasing the chills away...

 The chairs are waiting for us.

Baby It's COLD outside!!!

Well, we've come a LONG way from the mid-70s of last week!!  Monday evening brought rain that moved right into sleet in the wee hours of Tuesday.  Our resident fireman reported back that the roads were horrid (he left for work at 4:00 a.m.) and things were getting worse as the morning came on.  I found out later they had a call that included one of the fire engines but had to make do without it when it was unable to stop going through the intersection!!
So, with rolling blackouts and frozen pipes, Sister made an executive decision to cancel this weekend's adventure in hopes of finding a warmer weekend somewhere down the road.  As much as I really wanted to see all the things Gruene has to offer, I'm good with waiting for walking weather.
Daddio has a fire going and I've been in the kitchen making cookies.  If it's too cold to antique, I guess we'll just have to EAT!!!