Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Easter!

There's nothing like a 4-day weekend, especially when the weather is as nice as it was. I went to visit my family, and did lots of cooking, as we had 2 dinners on the weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well with the photos--just some snapshots before we demolished everything (literally, for the cake). I got up early on Friday morning to make this coconut cake for my brother's birthday. His birthday was in March, but this cake is worth the wait. The only change I made was to use fresh grated coconut on top and between the layers. I made it last year and after the first bite my brother said 'I'm taking this with me'. This devolved into a 4-way fight for the cake, but we made up and shared it in the end. This year the cake got a bit mangled on the trip, but it was mostly fine. I got a quick picture, and thought I would get more at my brother's house. What I didn't expect was that my nephew would fling it onto the floor! It was in a carrier, but looked a complete mess after that.
Hmm, having some white balance issues, but it was good--really. This is the before shot.

                            
Before Mr. Trouble got a hold of it. He's the best nephew ever, so all is forgiven.

For every family dinner I have to make coleslaw. I prefer making desserts, so I usually make something sweet too, but this is what my family always asks for. I've been making this since I was a teenager working in the kitchen of a local hotel. 

1 head cabbage, shredded (I do this by hand, but you can use a food processor)
3 carrots, grated
1 red onion, finely chopped

Place these in a LARGE bowl, and salt and pepper generously. Pour over a mixture of:

2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped (about a cup)

Mix with your hands. This keeps well, and is best made a day, or at least a few hours, in advance. 

Yup, same white balance issues. Bright yellow walls+skylight make for tricky pictures!

I also wanted to make some rhubarb desserts, but I will have to wait a while longer, as you can see below. No doubt everyone will be eating raspberries by the time my rhubarb is ready, but I consoled myself by making 2 more maple sugar pies. I can wait a long time if I get to eat more sugar pie!

5 comments:

Erin said...

What a cute little guy...even if he did throw your cake on the floor. And I'll certainly have to try your coleslaw recipe...I've never had one with mustard in the dressing!

Valerie Gamine said...

Your nephew is adorable, and so easy to forgive, I'm sure. :) That coconut cake has my name on it!

natalia said...

Wonderful cake but your nephew is much better !!

Valérie said...

Cute little guy! And I love the pre-demolition cake, it looks nice and light!

vibi said...

Oh! Is Mister Trouble the cutest ever! Okay, the cake and all the rest is also very nice... but c'mon, he's adorable!!!

I also need to thank you for not letting me down while I was sick and not felling like surfing the net, your comments during that time were really, really appreciated!