Thursday never looked so good! Happy times!!
Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez, January 15, 1966) and her band Cult Jam are an urban contemporary band and one of first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex “Spanador” Moseley, and drummer and keyboardist Mike Hughes. They were assembled and produced by Full Force.
Here is a fun recipe. Use a knife to cut the wafer cookies in half before adhering them with buttercream to the side of the cake. One last tip – maybe think twice about decorating with finely grated white chocolate on the top of the cake. I thought this would be a nice touch but I think it ended up looking like shredded cheese. Still tastes great!
Ingredients – Cake
1 package (18.25oz) devil’s food cake mix with pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup Nutella
Ingredients – Frosting
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 small jar Nutella
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 60 4-inch Pirouette Wafer Cookies, preferably Pepperidge Farm brand (2 cans, optional)
Preparation – Cake
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, Nutella, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
3. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
5. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up.
7. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
Preparation – Frosting
1. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about 90 seconds, stopping to stir every 20-30 seconds. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
2. Beat the butter and Nutella on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate chips.
3. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
4. Beat in the cocoa, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
5. Once the cakes are cool frost cake and decorate with Pirouette Wafer Cookies.
I’m feeling sentimental about Maya Angelou as well.
Lovely tribute…
Of all the things I remember about the time I met Maya Angelou, I don’t quite remember how we ended up shopping in Shreveport, Louisiana the day after she visited my college. As college friends post memories on my Facebook page of her visit, I have been trying all day to remember exactly how we ended up shopping and how she came to buy me this scarf.
I do remember that the process, the work of bringing her to campus taught me everything I needed to know about political maneuverings, regional pride, and, eventually, what is possible when an entire institution decides to do a thing right.
I got it into my head one summer that I should bring her to my small, private, mostly lily white, college in Northwest Louisiana. I’d read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in middle school in Biloxi, Mississippi when my father was…
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It has been a crazy few weeks in the world of TenaciousM! And my #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM have suffered and let me know about it. To them I say: “My bad, and I back!”
Is there a better pairing than sweet, juicy berries and rich, luscious chocolate? I don’t think so. Since I had already offered a few milk and dark chocolate sweets this month I decided to use white chocolate. I also wanted to make a bar cookie, just for something different. After looking through my collection of cookie magazines for something suitable to the theme, I chose a recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens magazines – White Chocolate & Cranberry Crispy Treats.
Little did I know I would be learning something new along the way about white chocolate. Technically white chocolate is not really chocolate at all because it does not contain any cocoa solids/chocolate liquor (which I did know). It is usually made from cocoa butter, milk solids, milk fat, sugar, vanilla, and salt. But anything that calls itself chocolate is my friend! Enjoy!!
Ingredients
Crispy Treats ~
¼ cup butter
5 cups mini marshmallows
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup white baking pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
Marshmallow Topping ~
1 tablespoon butter
1½ cups mini marshmallows
Preparation
Crispy Treats ~
1. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan; set aside.
2. In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
3. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted, then stir in cinnamon.
4. Add crispy rice cereal, white baking pieces, and dried cranberries, stirring until combined.
5. Scoop mixture into prepared pan. With the back of a greased spoon (or hands), press mixture evenly into pan.
6. If desired, drizzle with Marshmallow Topping.
7. Let stand for 1 hour before serving.
8. Cut into bars (makes approximately 48 bars).
Marshmallow Topping ~
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
2. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted.
3. Drizzle over crispy treats if desired.
Happy Thursday! Let’s celebrate the extended weekend starting now!!
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, funk and disco group, originally formed in 1964 as the Jazziacs based in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The brownies will be a huge success! Although they are made with a box brownie mix, you could use your own recipe to top the crunchy base.
Makes: 24 brownies
Ingredients
1 box (12.8 oz) Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (about 8 cups)
½ cup butter, melted
1 box Fudge Brownie mix
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water
2 eggs
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⅓ cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 350℉.
2. Spray 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside until needed.
4. Place cereal in food processor bowl with metal blade (do in 2 batches if necessary). Cover; process until finely crushed (or place cereal in large resealable food-storage plastic bag and crush with rolling pin).
5. Add butter to food processor and pulse until well blended. Press evenly in pan.
6. In large bowl, make brownie mix as directed on box, using oil, water and eggs and adding cinnamon. Stir in 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Pour brownie batter over cereal mixture.
7. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips evenly over batter.
8. Bake 20 minutes, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over brownies.
9.Bake 14 to 18 minutes longer or until brownies are set when lightly touched in center.
10. Cool 10 minutes; loosen edges but do not cut.
11. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
Egos & Buffaloes 