Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Garden, Mom's Mixer, & Love Cake



I’ve pretty much put most of my raised garden beds to bed for the winter.
The exceptions: my green beans, tomatoes, and strawberries….they’re still producing fruit and vegetables.  

This morning, I harvested yet another large bucket of green beans. 


This bucket’s going to be used for dinner tonight.  I’m thinking of cooking good old fashioned red potatoes, onions, and green beans for our meal.
 
Yesterday, I played a little, with a kitchen tool I brought home from my Mom’s place. 


I had tried to get my sister to take it home with her; she said no, she doesn’t bake enough.  She insisted since I bake and cook more than she does, that I should bring home this bad boy.  Without hesitation, I jumped on it; and brought this Kitchen Aid Professional 600 home with me. 

He’s sitting proudly on a shelf, set up conveniently in my living room, because I don’t have room in the kitchen to store him, along with several other items.  

Now back to playing with the Kitchen Aid Professional mixer.  While taking a break from working over the weekend, I watched a DVR’d episode of Valerie Bertinelli’s cooking show.  She made this awesome looking cake for her family; it was called the Sicilian Love Cake.  This recipe caught my eye because Valerie was using ricotta and mascarpone cheeses in the cake. When we came home Sunday night, I told Bulldog Man I was going to try to make this cake sometime this week. 
 
Picture from the Food Network
Last night, I made the Sicilian Love Cake.  OMG, talk about delicious, even Bulldog Man loved it.  The texture was so different, I don’t know how to best describe it……other than you just feel the need to push your face into it!!!   Bahahahahahahah…..  

We each had a small piece, and really enjoyed it.   I wish y’all lived closer; I would share the cake with you.  I know you would really enjoy it!!!!  Since you don’t live close, I’m going to cut this cake into pieces and freeze it.  Hopefully, it will hold up to the freezer over time.

Bulldog Man and I are trying to be good so one little piece of this cake won’t hurt us.  The trick to trying to be healthy is to do everything within moderation, and not think of it as a diet, just a way of life.   If you love ricotta cheese, this recipe is worth trying.  

*****
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17 comments

  1. Wise Woman there Sandy. Sharing the Love Cake should always be done in moderation :)

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    Replies
    1. PP,

      Thank you!!! Oh yes, sharing anything should be in moderation :PPP

      Delete
  2. Mmmm, it certainly looks good.

    I'm not even sure how ricotta tastes...that's bad, isn't it?

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    Replies
    1. Gail,

      It's delicious! If you've had lasagna, most people make it with ricotta (part of the filler). Not it's not bad if you don't know what ricotta tastes like.

      Delete
  3. Love in moderation? OH, wait, the CAKE in moderation....ha. I will show this recipe to 2nd Man and tell him "make this", ha.

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    Replies
    1. 1st Man,

      Love cake in moderation!!! You're so silly :-)
      You don't bake??

      Delete
  4. Sweet Sandy - i am glad that the kitchenaid pro went to you as i know that you will get a lot of use out of it!!! but on to the cake - OMG! that looks so delicious and i am not a cake person! jam definitely loves the look of it as he loves mascarpone! and you are dead right - food choices are lifestyle choices and diets are nothing but fads. and treating yourself to a nice dessert is a treat! let us know how it freezes/defrosts.

    sending much love to my Angel! your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. Sweet Kymber,

      I've always wanted a Kitchen Aid but couldn't bring myself to buy one. This one will last me a life time, and I will pass it down when it's my time to leave this world. This cake tastes amazing, and it's not really sweet.
      Sending hugs and love to you and Jam.
      Your Friend,
      Sandy

      Delete
  5. If your Kitchen Aid is like mine there are many attachments for it. I used ours yesterday to grind chevron. We finally got one of our wethers butchered, and the grinder attachment works great. I also like the shelves it is sitting on, they look very familiar! It's great to hear from you, Sandy. Enjoy your green beans and time at home.

    Fern

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    Replies
    1. Fern, and Frank,

      Yes, they're many attachments. I need to learn them all :-)
      One of your piggy's went to freezer camp.
      I told you we had the same shelves, LOL.......
      It's great to be back on line however, I will need to take more time away to finish up down south TX. Were almost ready to put the house up on the market.
      Girl, the green beans with potatoes, onions, and homemade broth turned out amazing. All from my garden or pantry :-)
      Hugs,
      Sandy

      Delete
  6. The picture of your green beans still growing shows a lot of blossoms yet, if I'm not mistaken. Do you freeze them for winter use? I sure have a lot of them stashed away for the coming winter.

    I, too, have a KitchenAid (not quite the classy model of yours) I've never fully learned to utilize. 'Tis on the To Do List for this winter. Maybe. Unless I choose to sleep all winter like a big, ol' bear!

    The cake? Oh, my. I could almost taste it. I have a feeling it will freeze well and be great to pull out pieces for that occasional treat.

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    Replies
    1. Mama Pea,

      You're not mistaken, I'm sure to have at least 2 more harvests of beans before putting that bed to sleep for winter. I've froze beans, canned beans, and dehydrated them. I'm a bean lover!!!

      This particular kitchen aid used to be my Mom's. I'm still learning how to use it too. I like the idea of hibernating for the winter......this maybe something I should do.

      The cake is very good, not really sweet.........which is nice :-) I'm sure it will freeze very well in containers.

      Delete
  7. The cake looks & sounds delicious but my mouth is watering over green beans, potatoes & onions for supper!

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    Replies
    1. DFW,

      The cake is really good however, the potatoes, green beans, and onions takes the cake, LOL!!!!!

      Delete
  8. Do all of us have metal shelves like that? My Kitchen Aid is like yours only in yellow. I had to get used to the noise of the direct gear drive, though. I lust after those string beans.....can't grow them here. Cake? Cake? Oh, it looks so yummy.

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    Replies
    1. Tewshooz,

      Probably not....but most do!!!
      I'm okay with the noise the kitchen aid makes, my problem it doesn't sit under the cabinet in the kitchen. They sit too low!!! I'm a die hard when it comes to green beans.......I eat them raw. The cake is yummy but the beans are better for you :-)

      Delete
  9. Good catch with the KitchenAid. For making bread, there is no finer tool.

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