Archive | Entertainment

I dragged out my 20 year old Kitchenaid to make a cake for a friend. Even though I haven’t used it in ages, I still think the classic Kitchenaid is as vital an object as a toaster. If i had to buy one today I couldn’t afford it. But If i wanted one it certainly would be worth saving up for. I had it before i was married and used it nearly everyday when i was cooking for more than myself, lately i reach for my 30 year old French Whisk instead.

But then i am rarely cooking anything more than an omelet. I am still kinda of shocked this Whisk has survived intact all these years, but i didn’t spare any expense buying it. Back in the day there were many more kitchen stores flogging professional quality items not made in China.

The reason i committed to making a layer cake, was threefold..one i wanted to see if i could still do it, i wanted one I actually found edible and three…and as always i wanted control.  This unbirthday party i am putting together with someone else is taking on a larger presence than i had originally planned.   where it started off as a dinner party with friends, the other planner has taken my TeaParty analogy and run with it, so it is more a party than the victim had requested.  

Regardless I still hung on to my original ideas.    I made a layer cake, with buttercream frosting with raspberry jam in the layers and i am serving it UPSIDE down in a dish pan (the dishpan serving dishes is another joke..they are exactly the same type we use to wash surgical instruments at the vet)  and instead of putting in candles to be blown out, it is served with a hammer..i have mine wrapped in plastic, for smashing.  Once the cake is smashed  up i will fold in cool whip and chocolate pudding and turn the cake remains into a Chocolate Raspberry Trifle.  which is getting served in teacups.

The only other chore i maintained control over is the booze.  My friend who by the way DOESN”T read this blog loves boat drinks, at least when we go out that’s all she orders.  And her favorite is the Headhunter  – not the traditional Trader Vic/Don the Beachcomber version but the modern Black Book version.  Simple mix of booze, pineapple juice and coconut.  tasty and effective.

HeadHunter

Fill tall Glass with Ice (the restaurant serves it in a coconut mug)
2 ounce Rum or Coconut Rum
1 ounce Vodka
1 tablespoon Cream of Coconut
dash of cream (not worth doing if you use coconut milk)
1 ounce orange Juice
Fill with pineapple Juice
Shake
Garnish with pineapple

I had to do some calculations to extrapolate the single recipe out to at least 10 people.
Basically we are talking 2.5 cups of rum, 1.25 cups of vodka, 1.25 cups of orange juice, and 5 cups of pineapple – it calls for 3/4 cup of cream of coconut which i still need to buy..all i had i the cupboard was a can of coconut milk from Thailand which has the milk and coconut all in, but i think i will use both..the more coconut the better…i damn near bought coconut flavored vodka to go with the Captain Morgan’s Pirate Bay Coconut flavored Rum – but as i might use up the left over coconut rum making tiki drinks, i will not use up half a bottle of coconut vodka in the same time. So I settled for a nice not cheap bottle of Smuggler’s Notch brand Vodka from Vermont. with every state in the union now making vodka, i think i will try one from each as i go, i seriously doubt i will make it to all 50 states of vodka – but it’s good to have a goal.

it’s late…or early depending on your point of view and i am doing something dangerous. I am crusing ebay for no damn good reason whatsoever. I am actually indulging a whimsy to do some window shopping for picnic baskets.. i don’t need one and don’t have any intention of buying one. I’m only one person these days. But i have had them in the past, the ready mades and the homemades. i have definite opinions on them, but sometimes i just like to catalog shop.

like any other tool geek, i like looking at kits of any sort, every few years they come out with a rash of new designs to look at..picnic kits make great gifts for people you know nothing about. You imagine them using them, even if they never will, but the gift is impressive and appreciated…and sooner or later the basket ends up at the thrift store, usually gutted of anything truly useful, which is the way i like them. Picnic baskets are almost always just the tableware and linens, rarely with a little room for foodstuffs, so one ends up carrying many heavy items you don’t need plus an entire other container just to transport the food. Then there is repacking dirty flatware and dishes into your nice clean basket, basically what looks good in the gift catalog is problematic in the field.

Gone are the days when your servants would worry about such things, and one has to be very bored to prethink what to pack and build your own kit. Basically find a STURDY container – when i was one of a couple, i used to own one of these green ones here…if was cavernous, plenty of room for everything not on ice, and if you are careful you won’t need that either. Choose your food and food containers first, then select the devices that you need. don’t forget extra plastic bags for repacking dirty dishes, trash and leftover foodstuffs. When we returned and i would run everything through the dish washer and toss them back in the basket and leave it stored that way, so the picnic items were dedicated to the task.

Alas i don’t have a need for anything such as this, on the odd occasion i pack a lunch to a job site, i have a few insulated lunch bags of varying sizes, large enough to accommodate food and flateware, the last few years i have discovered bento boxes which is time consuming to construct but satisfying to consume. I think my new years present to myself may be to adapt my picnic materials to attach to my bike. With the new rail trail coming through i will have plenty of reasons to have a few picnics with myself. how come no one makes a picnic basket for ONE?