For a recent holiday party, I opted to make my favorite rum cake to bring to the hostess as a gift that she could indulge in on her own or share with her party guests. So, with only mere hours to go until the party began, this tried-and-true Bermuda rum cake connoisseur took to the web to find an “easier” recipe than other recipes I’ve used in the past. With luck, I stumbled upon one courtesy of Bermuda’s The Elbow Beach Hotel then headed out to get all the ingredients. (Lucky for me, I had Gosling’s Black Seal dark rum on hand – what self-respecting, half-Bermudian doesn’t? – and was spared a very last-minute run to a specialty liquor store).
After a just over an hour of mixing, baking and glazing, I had this “rummy” treat to bring to the festivities. For an added personal touch (if you have time), print the recipe to accompany the gift. Happy Holidays!
Ingredients
Cake:
1 package yellow or chocolate cake mix (note: to save time, get the one with pudding already in the mix and omit the pudding mix below)
1 3/4 oz package instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup dark or gold rum (use Gosling’s Rum for authentic Bermudian version)
Glaze:
1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark or gold rum
Directions for Cake:
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube or 12-cup Bundt Pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 1 hour. Set on rack to cool. Invert on serving plate.
Directions for Glaze:
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in rum and remove from heat. Prick top of cake with fork. Drizzle and brush glaze evenly over top and sides.
Source: The Elbow Beach Hotel, Bermuda
Fresca Deli
We foodies jump at the chance to try something new, so when we heard the news that Freshii was revamping its menu and re-opening as Fresca Deli we were one of the first in line to try it out. While the Fresca look and feel is still Freshii, the menu is very different – and a-top the refreshed list is grilled cheese. Need I say more? Five grilled cheese offerings adorn the menu and are prepared with turkey, ham, bacon or just cheese.
Julie and I went with The Picnic: brie, havarti and parmesan cheeses, with sliced apples and plum jam grilled on multigrain bread – the ideal combo of sweet and tart flavors in gooey-cheese.
Kris tried The Great: havarti, sharp cheddar and parmesan cheeses grilled on sourdough and Kim had the The Great with Bacon, which included a generous amount of crispy, smoked bacon. As for our sides, cream of tomato basil and posole were the obvious pairings. And, today’s blustery winds made it the perfect day for this comfort-food combo.
We’ll be back to try a range of new menu items – from traditional deli, grilled and hot sandwiches, to grilled burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls, salads and soups. And, yes, they still have frozen yogurt and a plethora of packaged snacks for on-the-go treats.
Fresca Deli
400 Q Street
(corner of 3rd & Q)
Sacramento
Facebook: frescadelii
A Southern Sampling at Taste of Atlanta
O, The Oprah Magazine recently named Taste of Atlanta a foodie event worth making a trip for – good thing for me, I was already in town this past weekend, Oct. 21-23, to celebrate the 10th anniversary event! And this was the best ticket in town for a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. Having just been in Oprah’s stomping grounds at Taste of Chicago in July, I had something to compare the festival to and it was another culinary fest that didn’t disappoint.
Here’s a sampling of my top bites from among the 80 restaurants on display at Taste of Atlanta:
Shrimp and grits from Milton’s. Having lived Atlanta for a few years, I’ve had my share of grits, but these were the best yet. Cheesy, creamy goodness cooked to just the right consistency without the bite back “grit,” and topped with three large prawns, mushrooms, scallions, and drizzled with a lemon butter sauce.
Mini lamb burger with tzatziki sauce from Gilbert’s Cafe. In one word: perfection. The burger was cooked perfectly with lots of flavors – mint, parsley, garlic – with a dollop of creamy tzatziki sauce on a toasted bun. Yum!
Maple bacon brittle ice cream – yes, that’s right, bacon – from Morelli’s Ice Cream, whose samplings won for best dessert in 2010. The flavor choice caught my eye, and I must say it was surprisingly good. The sweet, caramelized maple bacon bits were swirled into creamy, buttery ice cream. One small scoop was definitely enough, but the selection certainly topped off the overall experience.
If you’re planning a jaunt to Atlanta anytime soon, I would highly recommend stopping in to try any or all of these restaurants and their offerings. Or, perhaps next year, you might plan to attend the 11th annual Taste of Atlanta culinary celebration. It is definitely worth the trip!
Bad Dog! Taqueria, Atlanta
On a recent trip to Atlanta, a friend introduced me to Bad Dog! taqueria near Emory University. With its long bar and exposed brick walls, this taqueria is the perfect casual spot for grabbing a bite while studying, socializing or just plain scarffing. For $2.99 each, we had our pick from nine delicious taco combinations, and a selection of seven burritos with signature sauces for $7 each, all served in soft flour tortillas made locally.
One look at the menu and I could see the passion the owners have for the food they serve – each description was as creative as their fresh ingredients – from “Yo Mama’s Taco” with old-school seasoned ground beef and all the fixings, to the “Snooki,” appropriately coined by one of the “Jersey girl” owners with its slow-simmered hot ‘n spicy tomato ground beef ragu and queso fresco.
Those who know me well know that I’m not big on spicy food, from peppers to curry, just not my bag. In fact, cinnamon gum is too spicy for me. (Yes, I can hear you saying, “some kind of foodie you are.”) So I had to ask about some of the offerings to be sure they would score low on my spice meter. But, alas, I had no problem finding a few that were right up my alley. I think the hard part was actually narrowing it down to just two tacos, but I went with the “Tastes like Chicken” with plantain-encrusted chicken breast, creamy cilantro sauce, lettuce and tomatoes, and the “Evita” with marinated grilled flank steak, crispy yucca and chimichurri sauce.
In one word: Yum! Even the chips and salsa offered their creative flair with a mix of yucca, plantain, boniato and traditional corn chips, and served alongside three salsas: salsa fresco, plantain pineapple serrano, and fire roasted tomato.
Next time I’m in town, I’ll order up an “Uncle Morty,” a slow-roasted brisket, marinated with grilled onions and served in its own “special sauce.” I don’t even have an Uncle Morty, but something about that sounds like home. Thanks, Bad Dog! I’ll be back.
1579 N. Decatur Road
404-370-8822
http://www.baddogtaco.com/site/
Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie
When challenged to come up with an All-American entrée for our recent Sac Foodies potluck, I must admit I was stumped. I thumbed through all my recipes two times over and finally stumbled upon a Chicken Pot Pie recipe I never made before. While I hesitated to make a dish I’d never made before for a large group, I figured if it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t be blogging about it – so, the good news is they liked it!
I can’t even give proper credit where it is due since the edges of this recipe were so poorly torn from the page of a magazine – remember, I had to dig deep for this one. Anyway, I definitely give it high praise for perfectly meeting my quick and easy criteria: less than 10 ingredients and preparation in less than 45 minutes start to finish.
For busy moms like me, leftovers are a saving grace some nights, especially in the early part of a busy week. This recipe makes a great night-two meal with left-over grilled or baked chicken, and the beauty of it is you can experiment with added vegetables of any combination you prefer. So, get creative and enjoy!
Recipe: Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 oz) frozen mixed veggies – carrots, green beans and peas, or other combination
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 chicken breasts, baked or pan fried, then cubed. Or, if you’re in a hurry, buy 2 packages of the pre-cooked diced chicken breast (6 oz each)
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup OR cream of mushroom soup
- ¼ cup reduced fat sour cream
- 2 tablespoons spicy mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 package crescent roll dough
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Spray 11×7-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Mix frozen veggies and onion in baking dish and cover, then microwave for 4 minutes on high or until just tender.
- In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients (except dough) until thoroughly mixed.
- Add chicken mixture to vegetable mixture and stir gently, then microwave covered for 2 minutes on High.
- Stir, then microwave 2 more minutes until steaming hot.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove dough from package and unroll into 2 long rectangles. Pinch perforations together to seal. Place over chicken mixture in baking dish and press against edges to form a rim.
- Bake 17 to 20 minutes until dough is golden brown and mixture underneath is bubbly.
- Serves 6.