Third Wheel

Nicholas and The Girlfriend had their date night here tonight, and I was definitely the Third Wheel (The Husband had to work late again – ay yi yi!). Unfortunately, I had a mystery shop I had to do for Panera, so I grabbed the extra car seat and buckled both kids in the car and off we went… date night indeed!

They both wanted Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches (though The Girlfriend opted for the “no peanut butter” variety), apples, strawberry yogurt and chocolate milk. Yeah, or so they thought. Apparently my Caesar Salad and Portobello Sandwich looked better, because they both polished off my salad. How can I complain when they’re diving into a salad?!

So since there was no cooking tonight, I’ll leave you with a recipe that I made earlier in the week … and promptly forgot to share. If it wasn’t for a co-worker reminding me (thanks, JA!), you might have missed out on Rum Cake! Wednesday was a rough day at work and it culminated with this cake … and the alcohol that went into it. Hey, better than chugging it straight from the bottle! The cake was good, very dense, and not overly sweet. Would I make it again? Eh, probably not, but I’m picky about repeats like that; don’t let it deter you.

If you need more reading, you can read my post on Food Bound about Rachael Ray’s newest cookbook, my article on FitFare about bananas or my piece on Paper Palate about Giada De Laurentiis. All for now.

Don’t forget … this weekend, we have Weekend Dog Blogging on Sunday, and Weekend Herb Blogging on Monday. Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… with just the click of a mouse….

Rum Cake
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2005 (Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban)
Prep: 20 min., Bake: 1 hr., Cool: 15 min., Stand: 45 min.

1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup dark rum
1/4 cup banana liqueur (I used Cointreau)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream
Rum Syrup (see below)
Powdered sugar

Beat butter and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, beating until blended. Add lemon rind, beating until blended. Gradually add rum and banana liqueur, beating until blended. (Batter will look curdled.) Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients; add to batter alternately with whipping cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 55 to 60 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Pierce cake multiple times using a metal or wooden skewer. Pour Rum Syrup evenly over cake. Let stand 45 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar before serving.

*1/4 cup dark rum may be substituted.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Rum Syrup
10 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup banana liqueur (I used Cointreau)

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring often; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and cool 10 minutes.

*1/4 cup dark rum may be substituted for banana liqueur.

Yield: Makes about 1 cup