How to Make Delicious Bundt Cakes Without Any Hassle?

Most of the people love Bundt cakes, not just because these cake recipes are moistest and delicious, but because they are easy to make and require little or no decoration. They can use any one of the fancy bundt pans available on the market and make impressive bundt cakes without putting any major efforts. Bundt pans are special cake pans meant to bake up traditional ridged round cakes. Due to their ridged or fluted designs, they can easily give an attractive shape to the finished cake. The bundt pans have a hole in the center which helps circulate the hot air around and across the cake and make it bake evenly. The pans now come in so many creative designs but with the more complex styles people face the problem of cake getting stuck in the pan. They need to use the right tools and some useful tips to remove the cake properly from the pan. The tips are as follows:

Use a non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle some non-stick vegetable oil on the bundt pan. You can also use a non-stick cooking spray like Bakers Joy for good results. Then, brush the sprayed oil into the grooves of the pan with the help of a pastry brush and keep the pan facing downward on a paper towel so that the excess oil can drain away. You need to avoid using a spray containing lecithin as it may build up on the baking pan over time.After greasing, dust or flour your cake pan and make it ready for baking. After greasing the pan with small amount of vegetable shortening, you must dust it lightly with flour. Just drop a tablespoon of flour into your greased pan, gently shake it and tap the pan multiple times with your palms, until the flour is distributed evenly over all surfaces. Once you finish, turn the pan upside on your work surface to remove extra flour.Or dust your bundt cake pan with finer bread crumbs instead of flour. You can also dust the pan with finer bread crumbs. The dry bread crumbs will work better than flour.Bake the cake and let it cool for 10 minutes before taking out of the pan. Pour the batter slowly into the pan and put it in an oven. Bake it for the specified time and allow it to cool 10 minutes or more if required. Use hot pads to lift the pan and mildly shake it to loosen the cake from all sides. You can also run a plastic knife or rubber spatula around the edge of the cake to help it loosen from the sides of the pan.Invert the cake, continue cooling and drizzle or dust. Invert the baked cake onto a cooling rack or plate and continue with cooling. Dust the cake with finely powdered sugar or drizzle some chocolate or caramel sauce over the top.

You are likely to get the compliments as you serve the perfectly prepared bundt cakes to your friends and family. Even better, you can shop for these tasty cakes at reputed bakery stores online. Apart from bundt cakes, they trade in baby shower cupcakes, birthday cakes, wedding cakes and many more. Even though you don't know how to make cake, they would let you enjoy a wide range of cake recipes at reasonable price.

Jacob Reed has been associated with gourmet and baking business for several years. He specializes in providing exclusive tips on making and purchase of bundt cakes , birthday cakes and baby shower cupcakes . Rate this Article

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Jacob Reed has published 20 articles. Article submitted on October 31, 2012. Word count: 555

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Deviled Egg Chicks

Easter is almost over but I had to share this last Easter recipe with you.

Another cute one :)

You can use whatever measurements you like for your deviled egg mixture. 

 




















Deviled Egg Chicks

• hard boiled eggs
• mayo
• mustard
• salt and pepper
• carrot
• black peppercorns

Cut the very bottom of the each hard boiled egg so they will sit up. Cut the very top off the hard boiled eggs to use as a hat. Remove yolks, mash in a bowl with mayo, mustard, and salt and pepper until smooth. Spoon into the egg whites, leaving some peeking out of the top, enough to place eyes and a nose on. Place peppercorns in the yolk mixture for the eyes, and trim carrot for feet and nose. Top with egg white that you cut off the top for a hat.

Printable Recipe


Things got a little messy trying to keep the lil chickie standing up, and the hat made it a little top heavy, so be careful!

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter celebrations with family and friends. I sure did enjoy spending Easter with mine.  

Happy Easter to you all!

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Deviled Egg Daisies

Here's another simple Easter recipe using eggs.

Deviled Egg Daisies
from Hungry Happenings

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• deviled egg mixture (yolks, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper or whatever you like)
• green onions

Cut eggs lengthwise down the middle, making 8 halves. Spoon deviled egg mixture in the center and arrange egg halves around the mixture, creating a daisy flower. Make a stem, leaves, and grass out of green onions.

*Note: I only used 7 halves because the other didn't peel prettily but use 8 so that your petals are connected.  

Printable Recipe 

 


Simple, cute, and only uses a few ingredients.

I would have used 8 egg halves but they didn't turn out too pretty when I peeled them. Still trying to perfect the hard boiled egg so that it peels perfectly. I've tried so many ways but none of them seem to work consistently. Any suggestions for the perfect hard boiled egg?

One more Easter recipe coming your way today!

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Baby Chickie Eggs

Happy Easter!!!

Today I'll be sharing 3 super simple Easter recipes using EGGS!

Easter isn't as fun as it used to be. I miss dressing up in my prettiest little girl Easter dress, getting piles and piles of candy in my Easter basket, and going to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and searching for all those colorful eggs with other adorable kids. I can't wait to have kids one day so I can give them those experiences.

My future mama-in-law did give us little Easter "baskets" when we went out for my birthday dinner on Friday. It was so cute! She is so thoughtful, and there were some DELISH candy goodies in there, along with some lottery tickets. Love that woman. 

Ok enough of the sentimental stuff, let's get to the food.

 
















These are just hard boiled eggs cut in half, with peppercorns for eyes and carrots for noses. The original recipe uses black sesame seeds but I couldn't find any at the store so I had to improvise. They are cute cuz the eyes are tiny so if I can find some in the future, I'd use those.

Baby Chickie Eggs
from Just Jenn Recipes

• hard boiled eggs
• black goma sesame seeds OR peppercorns
• 1 carrot   

Peel hard boiled eggs and slice in half carefully to not tear the yolk. 

Cut small wedge pieces from carrot to make noses. Add black sesame seeds or peppercorns for eyes.

Printable Recipe

All done! See how easy that was?

More Easter recipes to come!

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Sweet Tea Revenge: A Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs

Sweet Tea Revenge
A Tea Shop Mystery
by Laura Childs
Hardcover, 336 pages

Sweet Tea Revenge is the 14th book in Laura Childs' best-selling Tea Shop Mystery series. This cozy series is based in the polite society of Charleston, a slow and easy drawl of a community with a rich history.

Theodosia Browning owns the Indigo Tea Shop where she dispenses just the right brew to suit each customer, along with the perfect nibbles to complement the tea and the occasion. An idyllic refuge from her past busy business life, the tea shop is her pride and joy.

But Theo has a Nancy Drew-like ability to find herself amidst mystery and develop her own hunches along the way.

In Sweet Tea Revenge, Theodosia is dressed to act as bridesmaid for her good friend Delaine Dish. But before the nuptials are completed, Delaine's intended is found dead. Theo must now comfort her distraught friend while trying to figure out who all had motive, and opportunity, to kill the groom. 

This is a fun series of easy reading mysteries with a delicious tea shop theme. There are even tea tips, recipes and links to all things tea.

Pour yourself a cuppa and curl up on your favourite rocker on the porch and enjoy some Sweet Tea Revenge!  


Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, and the Scrapbooking Mysteries. She is a consummate tea drinker, scrapbooker, and dog lover, and travels frequently to China and Japan with Dr. Bob, her professor husband. In her past life she was a Clio Award–winning advertising writer and CEO of her own marketing firm.

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Toasted Marshmallows and Our Meals

The marshmallow has been a toasted favorite for years. Children love making smores and adults love adding them to desserts such as sweet potato pie. Regardless of their application, it is a fact that marshmallows have been around for much longer than you might expect.

To start with, the history of the marshmallow is actually very different from what it's known for today. In Ancient Egypt, it was applied for both its medicinal and flavor abilities. Originally, the marshmallow was an extract from the mallow plant, which is renowned for its ability to ease a sore throat. The mallow root was squeezed, releasing a substance that had several applications. Because pharaohs were required to speak to large audiences, this often left them hoarse, in which case the mallow came into popular use.

The Greeks also put the plant to use, including the leaves as an extract to reduce muscle aches, burns, and even alleviate severe medical conditions such as bronchitis. But, in these particular cases, they relied primarily on the leaves to make a marshmallow tea, rather than a sweet treat.

Since then, the marshmallow has undergone recipe changes and seldom includes mallow extract in its composition. There are various recipes, many of which include gelatin, sugar, and often vanilla extracts, which vary according to the producer, but have become extraordinarily popular in Asia.

The popularity of the marshmallow has grown so much that it even has its own dedicated holiday in Japan. In 1978, as an answer to those who gave chocolates and sweets during Valentine's Day, March 15 was designated as their National Marshmallow day to pay homage to the women of Japan.

Regardless of location, it is obvious that the marshmallow has been a symbolic sweet throughout time, and has made a mark in the books of history. For this, it has earned recognition and honor that can only be expressed by enjoying a dish that incorporates some toasted marshmallows. And while we may consider the only place a campsite favorite, we can always rely on our West Texas caterers to whip up a dish that puts this age-old favorite to tasty use.

As for those who enjoy the marshmallow here at home or in the back yard, we are truly able to understand what it means to spend some time roasting a few sweets together. After all, it's not always about the sweetness of the treat. It all comes down the experience we share together.

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Cake decorating made easy with edible inks

If you become a fan of cake competition shows, you know how complex and time-consuming the process is to create a designer cake, custom. Some come away from watching these shows with the impression that it only takes an hour show to produce these cakes, but in fact, many cakes take over 30 hours to create. When it comes to application designer touches, there are a few exceptions to the rule. One way to give the impression that you have spent countless hours decorating a cake is to use a designer print or photo printed in edible ink on a sheet of icing.

Suppose a MOM wanted to make her daughter's wedding cake, but knew only some basic cake decorating techniques. She could step it up a notch by using stationery daughter's wedding as a design inspiration and scan the drawing to the printer. The printer will then spit out an icing sheet with an edible design. That design could then be directly applied on the sides of the cake, cut into shapes with scissors or a fist or practiced in fondant or gum paste decorations that will only bring a hint of design in the iceberg.

Surely you are not limited to scanning. Each photo already on your computer or downloaded and each print you download can be sent to the printer. Personal photos can be used for home a cake or to incorporate to frames to decorate the cake.

Taking design skills a step further, you can get any design, you can print the sheet of icing and run through a computerized cutting machine. The machine can be used for more difficult designs, with small, accurate cuts or Cut letters, in some fonts. Electronic cutting machine comes with a pre-programmed standards and other cartridges are available, scroll, repeating patterns that would take forever to cut by hand, numbers, etc.

Even if you want to create your own hand-drawn design but need to create multiples of to put on the cake, scan and print as many need is so much faster and more convenient than individual creating them on the cake. You can hand paint a design on paper, scan it and icing sheet will uncover your touches, making it look like your hand-painted design on the cake.

Edible inks not only to make life easier for the cake decorator; opens so many possibilities for advanced design decorator may have never tried by other means.

Theresa Happe is a cake decorator who enjoys working with edible inks and icing sheets to create custom designs for cakes.

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It's Time To Say Hello With Christmas Cupcakes

Christmas cupcakes for the occasion is a lovely sojourn with appetizing creams and caramels. It's like celebrating with taste, and making the occasion best with several cake making tips and ways. Making a snowman Christmas cupcake is all so very easy. You just need to know the ingredients required for the purpose. To give shape to the particular cake the things that you need include icing sugar, apricot jam, white marshmallows, eatable silver baubles, strawberry belts of the red candy variety, dried coconut and to add you also need to arrange for hot water.

Making of the Snowman

To prepare snowmen Christmas cupcakes, you first require heating the oven to a temperature of 180°C, 350°F. You need to fit the cake papers well on the holes, or else there can be problems when the cake starts settling down. Take a mixing bowl and start mixing sugar and butter. Beat well till the batter is light and creamy.

Then it is time for you to beat the eggs well after you have completed stirring the flour. Remember to add vanilla extracts and baking powder and continue hitting the batter until it turns absolutely smooth. After you have well applied the mixture into the cup holes, you should allow them to get baked for twenty to twenty five minutes. Once ready you would know as the cakes would rise and turn golden automatically. You can use the coconut, apricot jam and marshmallows for perfect garnishing of the snowmen Christmas cupcakes.

The Mood for Chocolate Mud Cupcakes

You can even make Christmas special with the chocolate mud cupcakes. These are even referred to as holiday cakes and to make them you require chopped butter and Lindt dark chocolate stuff. You should also arrange for instant coffee powder, coffee liquor, plain flour, cocoa powder, egg, brown sugar, hot water and chocolate curls for stupendous cake decoration. You would also necessitate preparing the chocolate ganache with Lindt dark chocolate accompanied by sour cream.

For the mud Christmas cupcakes you need to heat the oven at a temperature of 160°C. You can use one of those muffin pans with the paper cases placed in style. Take a medium sized saucepan to make a perfect amalgamation of butter, hot water, coffee liquor, coffee powder and chocolate, and stir the ingredients well over low heat. After the batter is completely smooth stop applying heat. Then it is time to add sugar after which you should leave the batter aside to cool for four to five minutes. Apply the blend over the already prepared pans and allow it to be baked for 15 to 20 minutes. The process is completed with the making of the chocolate ganache which should be spread well over the cupcakes.

The Other Exciting Cupcake Models

The ingredients for the Christmas cupcakes are more or less similar. The exceptions lie in the final garnishing. For instance, when you sit to prepare the Santa hat cupcakes, you should make use of frosted red buttercream to give shape to the hats. For an exciting Christmas tree cupcake decoration, you can even make use of festoons like star and silver balls to make the cake shine for the occasion. The kinds of Christmas holiday cakes are made to look pretty in all plausible manners. To make the cake appear different in its kind you can set to decorate with reindeers and penguins. In fact, the cupcakes meant for Christmas are the cutest stuffs to be served on the occasion.

Jacob Reed has worked as a renowned Christmas cupcakes maker for a period of time. He has some of the most wonderful holiday cake recipes in store to share.

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Bunny Pretzels

I'm such a last minute kinda person. Procrastinator, they call it. 

I've always been this way when it came to my homework and school papers, and still am to this day in grad school.

I always wait until the weekend before my SRC posts are due to make the recipe.

And I always find myself sharing holiday-themed recipes with you like days before the big day. At best, a week in advance. I wanna be like those people who start posting Easter recipes in February, but I'm just not that organized!

But hey, you've still got time to make these little easy cuties. They do take some patience if you want to get the decorating part down perfectly, which I didn't. But there's no cooking, and only a few ingredients. 

How cute are these Bunny Pretzels?!?! If you don't make them for the taste at least make them for their cuteness. 

























Bunny Pretzels
from Stop Lookin', Get Cookin'

• Wilton candy melts - white, and pink and black if you don't have edible markers
• Twist pretzels
• Edible markers - Americolor Edible Markers suggested
• Nonstick mat (I used Silpat) 

Place pretzels on a Nonstick mat.

Melt candy coating according to package directions.

Once candy coating is melted, spoon a small amount inside each pretzel until the holes are filled.

Let the chocolate set for 15 – 30 minutes before you start to draw the face with the edible markers. Wipe the markers off after each use. Sometimes the oils from the chocolate can clog the openings of the marker and they won’t work as well. If not using edible markers, pipe eyes, nose, and ears on with melted candy melts. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Printable Recipe 

I haven't yet mastered my decorating skills, since these kinda look like Hello Kitty pretzels. And I bought Wilton's foodwriters, but they did not work well at all on the chocolate. So I ended up only using the black foodwriters for the eyes and whiskers... that's why the whiskers aren't perfect. And the pink wasn't working at all so I ended up using some pink Wilton's candy melts for the nose and ears. So maybe take Kendra's advice if you're going to buy some edible markers, and get the Americolor Edible Markers brand.
























 
Make these and put em in your kid's Easter baskets! Adults can get Easter baskets too, ya know :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

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Where to Eat for Palm Springs Restaurant Week: Catalan (Rancho Mirage, CA)

Catalan in Rancho Mirage opened in 2012 by father and son Mark and Drew Davis. Drew had worked in New York and moved to Los Angeles to be a private chef to Steven Spielberg before finally deciding to open a restaurant in the Palm Springs area. Catalan is a Mediterranean restaurant, emphasizing on Italian and Spanish influences.

For Palm Springs Restaurant Week, Catalan is offering a $38 menu that has not been determined and will probably change between the 2 weeks of May 31-June 16, in line with their policy to use local, seasonal products. We tried a lot of great dishes during our media visit, though, and you can probably expect the same for the prix fixe menu.

The entire table loved the Chicken liver flatbread, caramelized onions, roasted pears, smoked mozzarella ($17)

I mean, you eat chicken liver with bread anyway right? So why not put it on top and bake it together, add on some roasted pears and caramelized onions as "condiments"? So good.

More chicken liver? Why not! Especially when they're fried, like these Buttermilk crispy chicken livers, manchego polenta, wild mushroom port reduction, herbs ($15)

I wondered if the typical Palm Springs audience is adventurous enough for chicken liver but either way I'm glad the chef isn't shying away from it.

Read more »

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Greater Palm Springs, CA

Restaurants
Catalan Restaurant (Rancho Mirage)
Dish Creative Cuisine (Cathedral City)
Mastro's Steakhouse (Palm Desert)

Sights and Activities
Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Garden
San Andreas Fault Tour

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Creating Artistic Cakes with the Silhouette Portrait Machine

Silhouette Portrait Machine is extremely useful to the craft lovers. The machine has the ability to ease the process of craft making. But have you ever wondered the extensive range of design possibilities with the Silhouette Cameo Machine. Can you imagine decorating a cake with the help of this innovative craft cutter? The answer to this should be a yes. It is possible to create decorative and various other embellishments that goes on cakes with the help of the Silhouette Portrait Machine.

Icing sheets are used to make various designs that go on the surface of the wedding cake. These icing sheets are made to be strong enough to go through the electronic cutting machine. The very first step in making the cake is to understand what the client wants. The requirement of the bride is taken into consideration and picture references are asked so as to recreate or design cakes that will blow them away.

The company offers several templates and designs to the customers. One can pick and choose from the designs and download the one that meets their fancy. For instance ruffled borders can be created with the help of the images that are available. These are not actual ruffled sheets but give the illusion of being so. The scalloped design is apt for it and this can be easily made by using the Silhouette Portrait Machine software. Several scallops can be cut out from the icing sheets in various colors like gold, red, sliver and the likes. These can be layered on the various tiers of the cake.

The Damask design template also helps in creating a damask patter on any tier of the cake. It adds a regal touch to the cake. The cut out of the Damask designs could be in any color or shade. This can be placed on the surface of the cake and adds a more realistic feel. There are made from icing sheets that are edible hence one does not have to worry about any health scares.

The initials or the names of the bride and the groom can also be monogramed onto the cake. This adds a personalized touch and adds more meaning to the cake. After the design has been cut one has to remove the backing paper vary carefully otherwise it may crack. Use a shortening to gently brush on the back of the design. This will help the design to stick well on the cake.

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Enhance The Level Of Festivity With Red Velvet Cupcakes

To make occasions memorable and to intensify the depth of festive feel, it is time that you start blending ingredients to give form to the special red velvet cupcakes. These are special yet easy to make cakes and with the perfect cheese toppings, you are made to think that Santa is on the way. The cakes would be just perfect to commemorate the onset of the Christmas month. So, it is time to feel happy with Christmas cupcakes. Yummy is the word which comes to mind when you sit to rejoice with your red velvet cupcake in hand. Just a bite will tell you the making of the desert. It is all buttering and smearing down the way.

The Things Required Shaping the Cake

Making red velvet cupcakes is not rocket science. You just have to go through the steps rightly and you would know how to make the cakes puff in time. First, it is time to make a list of the ingredients you would require for shaping the cake. You can choose to make use of two and a half cups of all-purpose flour. You can start compiling with one and a half cups of sugar, one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of cocoa powder, one and a half cups of vegetable oil, one cup of buttermilk at normal room temperature and two large sized eggs. You would also require two table spoons of red food coloring, one table spoon of distilled white vinegar, and a single spoon of vanilla extract.

Frosting with Cream Cheese

The red velvet cupcakes alone don't look good till they are aptly frosted with cream cheese. For the process you would require one pound of cream cheese. Before you make use of the cheese you must make sure to soften the stuff, so that it sits well over cake. You should also make arrangements for two sticks of butter, a single spoon of vanilla extract four cups of sugar preferable of the shifted confectioner variety, and to end with you can even deliver with chopped pecans. The final trimmings can be made apt with fresh strawberries and raspberries.

How to Make the Cakes

For making red velvet cupcakes you have to make use of muffin pans. It is required that you preheat the pan to a temperature of 350 degrees. You should arrange for proper cupcake papers to hold the cakes well. Take a medium sized mixing bowl and put all ingredients of flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa powder and salt to mix well.

Take another bowl and congregate ingredients like oil, eggs, vinegar, food coloring, butter milk and vanilla. You need to amalgamate the ingredients in the correct proportion for the apt formation of the red velvet cupcakes. This is the time you must make use of an electric mixer for the proper blending of the ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones and the smoothening has to be done perfectly. Fill each cupcake papers with the mixture and then allow them to be heated for a time span of about 20 to 22 minutes. In the midway, you can turn the pans once and test the cakes to measure the extent of readiness of the Christmas cupcakes.

Last Tips to Follow

Be very sure to let the red velvet cupcakes be completely cooled before you start with the frosting. For preparing the frost you have to beat the cream cheese well. Butter, vanilla and sugar should be added at a low speed to combine things fine. Amalgamate well till the mixture turns fluffy. Finish with the red velvet cupcakes by providing with raspberry and strawberry toppings.

Jacob Reed is a homemaker and she has shared her experience and thrill in the making of the red velvet cupcakes . She has even received acclamation for her lips smacking Red Velvet Christmas cupcakes recipes.

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Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests

It's been a week since I've posted a recipe. Boo to that!

But I'm back on my game and bringing you these cutie Easter treats.

Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests!


























No cooking required, just a microwave! Yall know I like easy and quick. 

And they're adorable AND a rice krispie treat + Cadbury mini candy-coated Easter eggs.


































Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests
from Will Cook For Smiles

• 3 cups Cocoa Krispies
• 5 oz marshmallows 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• Cadbury mini candy-coated Easter eggs

Place butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds or until completely melted. 

Add the Cocoa Krispies to the mixture and mix well. 

Lightly grease a muffin pan. Fill muffin cups with Cocoa Krispies mixture. Press the centers to form an indentation for the nest so that you can fill with Cadbury candies. Allow to cool before filling with candy.


Printable Recipe

















Warning: This will get messy!

Hopefully I'll be sharing a few more Easter treats with you before the big day Sunday. 

I love a good reason to make themed food!


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Angelopolis: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni

Angelopolis

A Novel
by Danielle Trussoni
Trade Paperback, 320 pages

Already picked up for the movies, Danielle Trussoni's best-selling world of angels and hunters rivals Dan Brown in complexity, history, science, geography, and biblical and mythological lore. 

Angelopolis is the second in her Angelology series and builds upon the fantastic world she has created and the creatures who live in it. Inspired by a passage in Genesis, she explores the myth of the angels who fell in love with the humans and bred a race of angel/human hybrids which the flood was to wash away. In the Angelology series, some survived and these hybrids are a dangerous and terrible set of castes who are a real threat to humankind. 

An intelligent and thrilling fantasy series that is a nice departure from vampires and werewolves and zombies and all the other threatening non-humans that we have become so familiar with in recent works. 

USA Today calls it The Da Vinci Code meets Raiders of the Lost Arc - but I would throw The Matrix and the works of Justin Cronin in the mix too.

Hunt or be hunted, prepare to join the realm of the angels! 

Book One in the Series.

Book Two in the Series

DANIELLE TRUSSONI divides her time between the United States and Bulgaria. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Telegraph Magazine, and The New York Times Magazine. Her first book, Falling Through the Earth: A Memoir, was chosen by The New York Times as one of the top ten books of 2006. Visit her at www.danielletrussoni.com or www.angelologist.com

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Ice Cream Parlour For Your Special Ice Cream Memory

In a time when yoghurt-based and several other new kinds of ice creams are ruling the dessert scene, the variety available at Natural Ice Cream Parlour instantly reminds you of the simple and traditional ice cream. While its tag line reads Ice Cream of Juhu Scheme, today, the brand has gone way beyond the posh locale of Juhu, and is available at several places around Mumbai (and throughout India).

As soon as you step into the Ice cream outlet located at Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri (west), the huge posters of various ice cream flavours tempt you, and, may we add, confuse you, whilst taking a pick. Having said that, one of the best qualities of Natural is the fact that it truly believes in the virtue of less is more. While there is an interesting range of fruit - dry fruit- and chocolate-based ice creams, along with the basic malai flavour one, the specialty of this brand is that it doesn't have any special toppings (yet another 'in' thing in the modern-day ice creams) overpowering the original taste of the ice cream.

Its freshness keeps you asking for more from the very first bite to the last lick. Depending on the season, Natural offers an even bigger treat with its combination of mango or strawberry ice cream (only available in these two flavours), freshly cut pieces of the respective fruit, and a dollop of fresh cream. Absolutely sinful!

While the parlour can get a little crowded at times, especially during summers, you could perhaps pick up a cone or cup of ice cream (be patient, as, at times, the queue is rather long), and enjoy it over a stroll, or order it (it's free home delivery!) and have it in the comfort of your home. Take your pick - single or double scoop, fresh waffle cone or the typical one or just in a cup. The tubs are available in a quantity of half kilo. The reasonable price of the ice creams is one more reason why it can be enjoyed by anyone - from a college student to someone making big bucks.

For any reason and in every season, that dripping ice cream is always a 'hot' favourite. Everyone has a special 'ice cream memory', and a modest place, such as Natural, is sure to help you relive yours! You can find it at Natural, 21, Encore Apartments Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (west), Mumbai a little ahead of McDonald's and Food Inn restaurant.

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Sam Adams Beer Pairing Dinner at Final Cut Steakhouse

Last week I had the honor of being invited to a Sam Adams Beer Pairing Dinner at Final Cut Steakhouse in Hollywood Casino. Our first time there wasn't the best, but acceptable.

This time though. My interactions with Madeline (who invited us by email to the event) were pleasant. When we arrived they were so friendly and took us back to the Sam Adams event area, where we were greeted by our on-site contact Jerry. Great service already, off to a good start. 

We also were given a Sam Adams glass with their Boston Lager upon entering. It was a nice balance of sweet and a tad spicy with a smooth finish.

First up, Sam Adams Summer Ale paired with Final Cut Steakhouse's Lobster Grinder with Battered Asparagus Fries. The fries were atop some kind of sauce for dipping, it tasted like hollandaise but I'm not sure. All I know is that is was magical and I never wanted it to end. The rolls were perfectly golden and a bit toasted, and those huge chunks of lobster. I can't. The Summer Ale was also tasty, with a lemony and tad spicy flavor to it. 

 





 








Up next, Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Cherrystone Clam Chowder paired with Sam Adams Double Agent IPL. Well now I know I love halibut! It was very light but not that fishy taste at all. I love the lemon and garlic flavors and the clam chowder with the halibut, and those little potatoes and peas. Another perfect dish. And so fancy! The IPL was too bitter for my taste, and I'm not a fan of grapefruit. That's one reason why I'm not always drawn to craft beers because they can be bitter. So I'd pass on the IPL personally. But anytime I see halibut on a menu these days I'm going to be tempted to order it if it's going to be as good as this beauty.

At this point I started to lose some lighting as it started getting dark out so sorry for blurry and dim pics. The 3rd course featured a Crispy Pork Belly with Blackberry Sauce, paired with Sam Adams New World Tripel. I was hesitant about this dish but discovered that I am OBSESSED with pork belly. This was PJ's least favorite course, however. He thought it was too crispy and too salty. In other words, he's crazy. I loved the crisp layer of the pork belly contrasting the tender pork layers. And I didn't think it was too salty at all. I think the sweetness of the blackberry sauce helped cut down on the saltiness for me. I love sweet and salty mixes so this really hit the spot. I'm not sure what the yellow sauce was but everything together was heaven in my mouth. I didn't want this course to end either! I'll be on the lookout for Pork Belly dishes everytime I go out to eat now too because this was THAT good to me. I also LOVED the New World Tripel. It was sweet like I like my beer... I didn't taste mango or pineapple per say but I did love the sweetness of it. I'd buy this in a heartbeat, but it's not for sale in stores yet. I felt special being one of the first people to try this special special beer. I'll be buying it as soon as it hits stores! Of course one of my favorite beers was the 10% ABV  :)

And yes I took notes :) Only me, only me.

On to the 4th course.... Smoked Duck Breast, Sweet Potato Puree, and Tasman Red Gastrique, paired with Sam Adams Tasman Red. PJ loved the duck dish, it was my least favorite however. It wasn't bad, just didn't compare to the other dishes in my opinion. I didn't like the Tasman Red either as it was too bitter and again, had too much of that grapefruit taste.

After 4 courses and samples of beer, I was a bit full. But I had to make room for the 5th and final course, Belgian Doughnuts with Coffee Caramel and a Stout Frappe, paired with Sam Adams 13th Hour Stout. I only ate a few bites of the Belgian Doughnut and it was pretty good, but not amazing. I LOVED the Stout Frappe though. It was sweet and it was oh so good. The 13th Hour Stout was also one of my favorites. I didn't taste the coffee or chocolate at all, and PJ didn't either which was good because he doesn't like coffee and thought he wouldn't like this beer but we both thoroughly did. I tasted a hint of cherry too. And it's 9% ABV. I'll be adding this to my beer repertoire purchases for sure.

They also served a sample of my FAVORITE beer right now, Angry Orchard. It is an apple-flavored hard cider that I discovered at last year's Oktoberfest. Love the sweet and sour balance. I had no idea they were affiliated with Sam Adams and I've been drinking it every weekend for I don't even know how long! So it was a treat to see that offered on the sample menu. I've tried the Crisp Apple, Apple Ginger, and Elderflower and loved them all!

And they gave us each one of those Sam Adams glasses to take home with us.

Can I just say that I want to do this like every week? The food was amazing, they treated us like kings and queens, and I found a couple new craft beers that I can't wait to buy regularly once they become available to the public. I felt so special being one of the few to try some of the beers before everyone else. Final Cut and Sam Adams, we were honored to be your guests for this amazing event and you can invite us back anytime! It was one of the best nights I've had in awhile :) Besides losing $20 in the casino before dinner. I knew we shouldn't have stopped in there!


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Under The Radar: Buffalo Club (Santa Monica, CA)

Buffalo Club is a fine dining restaurant in Santa Monica that's been around for 19 years, and yet not that many people these days seem to know about it.

The exterior looks like a dive bar - that's because it used to be before the current proprietor bought it and reinvented it as a restaurant. Walking in, though, especially after the recent renovation, reveals an interior much different from the outside - an elegant, dimly lit, quiet, dining room. After the latest renovation, there are now two dining areas: the white tablecloth Iroquois dining room and the more casual (and cheaper) Garden Courtyard.

The chef and part owner, Patrick Healy, has been at the restaurant since its inception, a rare feat for fine dining chefs in LA these days. Healy trained in France under Alain Ducasse and other 3-star Michelin chefs before opening his own restaurant and later joining Buffalo Club.

We let the sommelier, Brayner Ferry, pair everything for us and he welcomed us with a brut rose from La Maison du Cremant de Bourgogne.
Our dinner was off to a great start with the Dungeness crab salad, avocado wrap, asparagus, Belgian endive, spicy gazpacho ($23). Pictured here is half of the portion, the restaurant split them for us.

The precious crab salad sits atop the gazpacho and covered by fresh, creamy slices of avocado. It's not quite salad, not quite soup. Either way it was a great, light way to whet your appetite. None of the flavors were too strong as to overpower the crab, instead they come together well.

Crisp duck confit, frisee, arugula, red onion, haricot vert, duck fat potatoes, Bing Cherry gastrique ($19).

While I've had duck confit salads before, it's the first that the duck was this crispy. The meat was rich, but nicely by the greens and the gastrique. This was paired with a classic Chardonnay for Carneros, to cut the richness.

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