Global Cafe

Global Cafe

why did I do that?

Jess made some mini-meatloafs today for our Sunday lunch.  The last step is to broil them with the sauce, at a particular temperature.  She pulled them out of the oven, just moments before I walked in.

For whatever reason, I was going to move the meat thermometer into the sink and touched the 500 degree piece of metal with my bare fingers.

Tonight I am nursing two burned fingers and my dignity in the kitchen.

Garage Sale for International Students at UNCC.

Garage Sale for International Students at UNCC.

embarassing

These Yankees of mine just don’t show up to play some games.  1 run?  Against the last place AL West team even.  You have to wonder, particularly if you are a Yankees fan, if the hiring of Joe Girardi was the right one.  I tend to think so, but at the same time you high powered offense needs to produce more than one little run in these type games.

content change

Hi folks who frequent our blog or visitors who have no idea what is going on.

As you can see by going through our archive, our blog is and has become a hodgepodge of many different things.  We’ve decided to break this down into several different blogs for your viewing pleasure.  Without further delay…

http://jesa.tumblr.com will be a blog focused about Jessica’s love of baking

http://martyrs.tumblr.com will be a blog focused on the persecuted church

http://learnd.tumblr.com will be a blog focused on my (Michael’s) discoveries and my desire to log them

http://www.blackfam.us will be a blog focused on the Black family.

So subscribe to what suits you, or subscribe to all 4!  You might from time to time see a cross-post (particularly if it has to do with baking and the family eating it).  Currently comments are only allowed on our family blog, maybe one day we will decide that there is enough interest to install comments on the others.

Thanks for your reading,

Michael

“

But I can’t get away from Rachie.

(Why?)

Because she’s so cute!

William, after being advised for the umpteenth time to leave his little sister alone while in her walker. (via jesa)
Just when you think you’ve experienced all possible snack food flavors…Burnedmeat biscuit sticks.  Mmm…burnedmeat goodness.

Just when you think you’ve experienced all possible snack food flavors…Burnedmeat biscuit sticks.  Mmm…burnedmeat goodness.

Cupcake Update (Cupdate?): The Polls Are Open!

jesa:

Wahoo!!  Please click the logo below to vote for my Iron Cupcake Chili entry (listed under the Black Family Weblog)!  There’s a voting section down the left side of the site when you get there.  Voting is open until Thursday, Sept 4 at 1pm eastern.

Cupcake contest

Thanks for voting!!

(Reblogged from baketecture)
jesa: Iron Cupcake: Chili Pepper Challenge The Cupcake: Chili Vanilli… Icing? Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind So, there’s this Iron Cupcake Contest going on, and I’ve determined to put my experimental culinary bent to strike out and find my special purpose and maybe a good thermos (or was that a Steve Martin flick?…but that’s not important right now).  The prizes are as sweet as the competition subjects: a one-of-a-kind piece of original Cakespy art by ETSY artist Jessie Oleson; a luxury hostess apron from Jessie Steele; the next generation of the Cupcake Courier; and a new publication from the library of Taste of Home Books. Plus, you know, “Iron Cupcake” is a pretty spifftastic title to add to my email signature, which I am highly likely to do, so don’t say you haven’t been warned. Anyway, this month’s challenge was chili peppers, and the planning experiment went a little something like this: What goes with chili and how does that go in a cupcake?  My pepper of choice would be the cayenne.  It tastes good, has a nice heat to it, it’s fun to say…Maybe some cream cheese icingy stuff to tame the flame, and a little sweet and sour fruitiness to play it up.  Tamarind…what is that?  That’s tangy, right?  Oh yes, it’s tangy.  And a little vanilla bean?  Groovy. The cayenne and vanilla bean went into an heirloom family favorite cake recipe, topped with cream cheese icing with a tamarind cream cheese stripe.  And then I melted red sugar and tamarind pulp together to make a tart and crunchy drizzle on top. The result is pictured above, the Chili Vanilli cupcake with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing.  Because nothing says quality baked goods like being named after a “pop and dance music project.”  I’ll admit, it was better than I expected.  Some might even say it was good.  But don’t take my word for it…here are a couple of cupcake testimonials from my taste testers who are only motivated by the threat of more cupcakes to taste (nicknames awarded to protect the innocent…you know who you are): “The cupcake was fantastic!  The best ever frosting!  The extra red goodness only added to the delightful creamy but not too sweet very unique icing!” - Adjective Princess “Hit the spot.  The icing was killer!” - My ”People” So there it is.  Please vote for me by clicking on the Iron Cupcake logo below between Sunday and Thursday—I’ll post more details about where to find the spot to vote, where you can select the Chili Vanilli with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing as your preferred Iron Cupcake entry.  And I will reward you with more cupcakes!

jesa:

Iron Cupcake: Chili Pepper Challenge

The Cupcake: Chili Vanilli… Icing? Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind

So, there’s this Iron Cupcake Contest going on, and I’ve determined to put my experimental culinary bent to strike out and find my special purpose and maybe a good thermos (or was that a Steve Martin flick?…but that’s not important right now).  The prizes are as sweet as the competition subjects: a one-of-a-kind piece of original Cakespy art by ETSY artist Jessie Oleson; a luxury hostess apron from Jessie Steele; the next generation of the Cupcake Courier; and a new publication from the library of Taste of Home Books.

Plus, you know, “Iron Cupcake” is a pretty spifftastic title to add to my email signature, which I am highly likely to do, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Anyway, this month’s challenge was chili peppers, and the planning experiment went a little something like this:

What goes with chili and how does that go in a cupcake?  My pepper of choice would be the cayenne.  It tastes good, has a nice heat to it, it’s fun to say…Maybe some cream cheese icingy stuff to tame the flame, and a little sweet and sour fruitiness to play it up.  Tamarind…what is that?  That’s tangy, right?  Oh yes, it’s tangy.  And a little vanilla bean?  Groovy.

The cayenne and vanilla bean went into an heirloom family favorite cake recipe, topped with cream cheese icing with a tamarind cream cheese stripe.  And then I melted red sugar and tamarind pulp together to make a tart and crunchy drizzle on top.

The result is pictured above, the Chili Vanilli cupcake with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing.  Because nothing says quality baked goods like being named after a “pop and dance music project.”  I’ll admit, it was better than I expected.  Some might even say it was good.  But don’t take my word for it…here are a couple of cupcake testimonials from my taste testers who are only motivated by the threat of more cupcakes to taste (nicknames awarded to protect the innocent…you know who you are):

“The cupcake was fantastic!  The best ever frosting!  The extra red goodness only added to the delightful creamy but not too sweet very unique icing!” - Adjective Princess

“Hit the spot.  The icing was killer!” - My ”People”

So there it is.  Please vote for me by clicking on the Iron Cupcake logo below between Sunday and Thursday—I’ll post more details about where to find the spot to vote, where you can select the Chili Vanilli with Girl, You Know It’s Tamarind icing as your preferred Iron Cupcake entry.  And I will reward you with more cupcakes!

(Reblogged from baketecture)

Our friend Vic from NJ who moved down south via email: “Oh yes, we’ve gotten rain. Some yesterday, and tons today. PTL! I was starting to wonder how the south ever grew any cotton.”