Coconut Cake

This cake is a gluten and dairy free version of a coconut cake that Katie's mom makes a lot. It looks like quite the monolith in this picture.

Delicious Chicken!

So Katie's sister created this great chicken recipe. Here's what it looks like!

The Ice Cream Maker!

So, after three summers of wanting an ice cream, I finally purchased one. Here's what we've been eating:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Vanilla Gelato (I omitted the heavy cream but didn't use more milk in it's place so I got a super rich, but very small batch)

Mango Coconut Sorbet

Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato (less fat and I used cornstarch instead off eggs)

Things I've learned about making ice cream:

Patience really pays off, waiting for the maker to churn longer makes it easier to take the ice cream out and gives a nicer consistency.

Real mint leaves to make mint chocolate chip ice cream is so much better than what you usually find at the supermarket, the real mint seems to hit more flavor notes (is this a real concept? I'm taking the idea from perfume) than mint extract.

Much Love to Stephanie for the beautiful ice cream bowls which have enhanced the ice cream eating experience!

What Charlene's Been Eating-Sashimi

Since Katie and I are separated for the summer, I thought it might be fun to post pictures of what I've been eating outside of New Orleans

Coming Up Next: What Charlene ate aboard the Carnival Pride

The one where Katie and Charlene try to make pita

So Katie and I both independently were thinking about making pita for quite some time. When we realized that we both wanted to make pita, we got right to it.

Above is a picture of the dough rising and below are the final results!!

So, the results were not as fruitful as we hoped. We made this earlier, when the weather would switch between warm days and really cold days. As the sun fell, out pita dough was rising. Unfortunately because it was colder, the dough didn't rise enough to make the pocket which is absolutely essential to pita so our results were more like flat bread.

Homemade Tortellini!

Long time no update! I recently made homemade tortellini following this recipe http://www.weareneverfull.com/homemade-stuffed-pasta-yes-we-can/.

Here are the results!

TUMAC Spring BBQ

In an effort to use our gym memberships (happily included in our tuition), and promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle & exercise... we joined the Tulane University Martial Arts Club aka TUMAC, last fall.

This past weekend I ventured down to Dorignacs in Metairie with our fearless leader, Tom. While Charlene was enjoying delicious crawfish and good music at Tulane's Crawfest 2010... I was occupied in Tom's kitchen assisting in the creation of grilled veggies (asparagus, scallions, onions, zucchini, squash, etc), lamb burgers, and beef burgers. In addition to the chicken (marinated in thyme, lemon, and olive oil), we had smoked sausage, avacado salad, baked beans, strawberry pie, and a vanilla ice cream dessert.

No BBQ is complete without the endless supply of beer, wine, and horseradish infused vodka. Yes, horseradish infused vodka to cleanse your palate and prepare the stomach for dessert. There's nothing quite like the feel of burning and the 'whoa what did i just put in my mouth' factor. If you've never tried it, I recommend having your camera's action ready for some great reactions! Unfortunately, due to technical errors, our video of 'horseradish infused vodka' shots was accidentally deleted. Instead, please enjoy the photos our festivities near Audubon park. Pictures courtesy of our very own Treasurer, Adrianna!