Doctored up Yellow Cake

I tried a cake recipe that I really didn't care for. The recipe suggested using chocolate frosting but I knew that wouldn't compliment the texture of this dry cake. Here's what I did to salvage it.
First I drenched both layers in lemon simple syrup. Then I filled the cake with lemon curd. To frost the cake I doctored up canned vanilla frosting by adding 3/4 teaspoon lemon extract to it. 
After all was said and done, it was much better and I felt good about sharing it with a friend and her family.

Lemon Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
juice and zest from two lemons

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Current Restaurant at Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa

If I was blogging last year, I would have written about their Belgium waffles. Perfection. However, this time I ordered the eggs Benedict. It was really good. Instead of English muffins, they used cheddar biscuits which is a nice change. What I didn't expect much from were the hash browns. Normally when I get hash browns, I pick off the crunchy parts to eat and leave the rest. Not this time. They were well seasoned and crunchy and amazing. I can say that they were the best hash browns I've ever had. Love when I can say that.
I also appreciate that there is tons of outdoor seating. If you're going to eat in Coronado, you should be sitting outside to enjoy the gorgeous views of San Diego Bay. The servers at Current were very accommodating and brought our party umbrellas for shade.
We can't wait to come back. Click here for more information about the resort and its restaurant and lounge.


(Parking is $22 so if you can, park off site.) 

Teresa Giudice's Spicy Crispy Chicken

Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook

I will be making this again, FOR SURE! It was really easy to make, not too many ingredients, and delicious. It was tender inside and crunchy crispy on the outside. 
I made a couple of adjustments. Use half the amount of yogurt, milk, and cheese but double the amount of red pepper flakes.  Perfection.
Click here for the recipe.

Huggies Little Swimmers Deal at Costco

If you've got kiddos in swimmers, Costco has a really good deal on them. For $15 you get between 23-27 of them depending on size. I've seen them advertised else where for around $8 for 10 swimmers. The other great part is that you get 21-29 denim Little Movers in this Fun & Sun pack. This deal is too good to pass up.

Chocolate Royal Icing

I googled a recipe for chocolate royal icing and came across a great one. Click here for it. I have just a couple of notes for this recipe. Make sure that you beat the icing until it has a dull finish. Also, it calls for meringue powder. You can buy it at Michael's but it's a little pricey. If you are in San Diego, visit DoItWithIcing.  They've got great prices and a wide selection of cake and candy supplies. Enjoy!

Isn't he cute how he's feeding her?

Thank You Teresa Giudice!

Teresa Giudice from the Real Housewives of New Jersey came to San Diego last week on her book signing tour. I went to the signing and purchased Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It - Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too! and Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook. When I got to the front of the line and it was my turn to meet her, we chatted about our kids and cooking with them in the kitchen. She was really sweet. 

We had guests over tonight and I tried out a few of her recipes; Olive Juice Bread Bath and  Rosa's Rustic Italian Loaf from Fabulicious and Fresh Fruit with Beautiful Balsamic Glaze from Skinny Italian. All three were a huge hit! The bread bath was perfect for dunking the bread. It had lots of EVOO, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, Balsamic vinegar... delish. The Balsamic and fruit dessert was agrodolce, the traditional sweet and sour Italian flavors. One of our guests said it was addicting and I couldn't agree more.

Because Teresa hasn't published all of her recipes online, I can't copy all three of them and give a link. Buy the book! (or borrow it from me.) I did find one here though, Rosa's Rustic Italian Loaf. The recipe will make two loaves of bread and will require some waiting time. Check it out and enjoy!

Ina Garten's Easy Strawberry Jam

Today I'm babysitting my 18 month old niece and 2 month old nephew and of course my 2 year old son is also here. While the older two were playing and I was feeding the little one, I was watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. She was making Easy Strawberry Jam and wouldn't you know that I have all the ingredients; strawberries, blueberries, apples, and sugar.

It's simple and delicious. Ina recommends using a candy thermometer, I didn't and I omitted the liqueur. I just watched the consistency of the jam and turned off the burner when it got to a thick jam consistency. Also, instead of superfine sugar, I used regular granulated sugar and blended it in the food processor. Check it out!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-strawberry-jam-recipe/index.html