There was a TV celebrity and humorist, Art Linkletter who had a show, "Kids Say The Darndest Things." It was sort of a Candid Camera with kids as the "victim". Children were put on the spot with questions like, "What did your parents tell you NOT to say on this show today?" The answers were always hilarious. A response might be, "They said not to tell that they always fight or that Daddy walks around the house in his underwear." The parents of these kids had bragging-rights.
Parents and Grandparents brag about their kids...a lot. Rightly so, most of the time. A baby is a beautiful miracle, but tell the truth, not all babies are beautiful...a few look like Mr. Magoo. Anyway, I'm a Mom who is proud of my child and his accomplishments, BUT. Years ago, I made a promise that my son would not be the main topic of every conversation with friends and family. I might love him with all my heart, but no one has to hear about every detail of his quite ordinary life. As I've often told him, "The world's not gonna love you like momma loves you." On the other hand, I never said I wouldn't talk about him in a blog.
Food & kids is a topic I enjoy. Nothing pleases me more than a child that eats with gusto. A baby that is a two-fisted eater is a delight to behold. Most of my 17 nieces and nephews will agree that the Feast of the Seven Fish on Christmas Eve is a meal they look forward to all year. Bowls of scungilli & stuffed calamari in a tomato sauce get devoured on this special night. Plates of octopus salad, battered shrimp and baccala are inhaled in record breaking time. All I can do is sit back and grin. Broccoli, green salad and escarole pie are equally enjoyed by my not-picky younger generation of the family. Is there anything cuter than a wee one with chocolate smeared on his/her smiling face? Not in my books.
My favorite photo of my child is...he's less than two years old sitting in his high-chair. There's a bowl of mussels in marinara sauce in front of him. He's so excited about the frutta di mare before him that he's run his sauce slicked little hands through his hair. It's sticking out in every direction. A huge smile is plastered on his sauce splattered face. Now, that's my kind of kid! So not to sound like I'm bragging...I will tell you that this same child ate sand at the beach..by the hands full. In his defense, the doctor said it was nature's way of relieving his teething pain..the salt in the sand and the grittiness felt good.
Okay, now to get to the recipe for this post. I was waiting at the bus stop for my son to get home from school. He was about 5 or 6 years old. The bus pulled up and the doors opened. My child stumbled off, literally. What a sight he was. His shirt was half in and half out of his jeans, his face had a black smudge on it and his hair was mussed out of control. He was a mess! "What on earth happened to you?" I asked. He looked down, then back up at me. He gave out a long sigh and with grown-up seriousness said, "Today, I was whipped-creamed." He certainly looked it. And....kids say the darndest things.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Angel Food Cake
1 Box of Angel Food Cake
1 Quart Heavy Cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
1 cup coconut flakes
8-10 chocolate candies or coffee chocolate beans (any kind you like)
Tube cake pan
Whipped cream tip: place metal mixing bowl and beaters in freezer for 10 min. before mixing.
Bake the Angel Food cake according to the directions and pour into a tube pan. Let cool. Once cooled, slice top off of Angel Food Cake about 2 inches. Scoop out a second "well" inside of cake about an inch from tube "well", set aside the cake you scooped out. Fill inside of cake (both wells) with chocolate whipped cream, packed tight. Put top back on cake and frost the top and the outside with remaining cream.
Frosting: put cold heavy cream in a mixing bowl & beat on medium speed until slightly thickened. Gradually add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and cocoa. Beat on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat.
After frosting cake, sprinkle top with coconut. Decorate top with candies. Left over pieces of the inside of the cake are good for dipping in fondue or remaining cream.
**Kudos to my co-worker, Kathy, for baking this cake and giving me the recipe.
Remember To Make Memories At The Table
Parents and Grandparents brag about their kids...a lot. Rightly so, most of the time. A baby is a beautiful miracle, but tell the truth, not all babies are beautiful...a few look like Mr. Magoo. Anyway, I'm a Mom who is proud of my child and his accomplishments, BUT. Years ago, I made a promise that my son would not be the main topic of every conversation with friends and family. I might love him with all my heart, but no one has to hear about every detail of his quite ordinary life. As I've often told him, "The world's not gonna love you like momma loves you." On the other hand, I never said I wouldn't talk about him in a blog.
Food & kids is a topic I enjoy. Nothing pleases me more than a child that eats with gusto. A baby that is a two-fisted eater is a delight to behold. Most of my 17 nieces and nephews will agree that the Feast of the Seven Fish on Christmas Eve is a meal they look forward to all year. Bowls of scungilli & stuffed calamari in a tomato sauce get devoured on this special night. Plates of octopus salad, battered shrimp and baccala are inhaled in record breaking time. All I can do is sit back and grin. Broccoli, green salad and escarole pie are equally enjoyed by my not-picky younger generation of the family. Is there anything cuter than a wee one with chocolate smeared on his/her smiling face? Not in my books.
My favorite photo of my child is...he's less than two years old sitting in his high-chair. There's a bowl of mussels in marinara sauce in front of him. He's so excited about the frutta di mare before him that he's run his sauce slicked little hands through his hair. It's sticking out in every direction. A huge smile is plastered on his sauce splattered face. Now, that's my kind of kid! So not to sound like I'm bragging...I will tell you that this same child ate sand at the beach..by the hands full. In his defense, the doctor said it was nature's way of relieving his teething pain..the salt in the sand and the grittiness felt good.
Okay, now to get to the recipe for this post. I was waiting at the bus stop for my son to get home from school. He was about 5 or 6 years old. The bus pulled up and the doors opened. My child stumbled off, literally. What a sight he was. His shirt was half in and half out of his jeans, his face had a black smudge on it and his hair was mussed out of control. He was a mess! "What on earth happened to you?" I asked. He looked down, then back up at me. He gave out a long sigh and with grown-up seriousness said, "Today, I was whipped-creamed." He certainly looked it. And....kids say the darndest things.
Chocolate Whipped Cream Angel Food Cake
1 Box of Angel Food Cake
1 Quart Heavy Cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
1 cup coconut flakes
8-10 chocolate candies or coffee chocolate beans (any kind you like)
Tube cake pan
Whipped cream tip: place metal mixing bowl and beaters in freezer for 10 min. before mixing.
Bake the Angel Food cake according to the directions and pour into a tube pan. Let cool. Once cooled, slice top off of Angel Food Cake about 2 inches. Scoop out a second "well" inside of cake about an inch from tube "well", set aside the cake you scooped out. Fill inside of cake (both wells) with chocolate whipped cream, packed tight. Put top back on cake and frost the top and the outside with remaining cream.
Frosting: put cold heavy cream in a mixing bowl & beat on medium speed until slightly thickened. Gradually add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and cocoa. Beat on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat.
After frosting cake, sprinkle top with coconut. Decorate top with candies. Left over pieces of the inside of the cake are good for dipping in fondue or remaining cream.
**Kudos to my co-worker, Kathy, for baking this cake and giving me the recipe.
Remember To Make Memories At The Table
Nanette
Ok, I'm going to have to make this for your son just so I can hear him say he was "whipped creamed" again!
ReplyDeleteGreat stories, and even better recipes.
Aw, Kelly...thanks.
ReplyDelete