Gentle giant...

My sister, Biz, takes in just about any stray animal that comes along. She's had as many as 10 dogs at one time. Her most recent addition, Willis, is very special and she's quite attached to him. Here's a photo of his paw in her regular-sized adult hand.

New Orleans Doberge Cake from "Let's Bake with Beulah Ledner"

Ya'll know I'm not big on baking but I've been wanting to try this recipe for this New Orleans staple, a doberge cake.

Or I could just order one from the famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA for $64.75 + $4.75 shipping.

Let's be realistic... I can't spend that kind of money on a cake. If I'm going to get one, I am going to have to make it myself.

Photo borrowed from the World-Famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA

I want to try a lemon doberge cake too. Once I've mastered both, I might even try a half-chocolate, half-lemon version. Gosh, that sounds like a lot of work when I could just order one from Gambino's for $74.50.

On second thought... I should probably make my shopping list now.

Photo borrowed from the World-Famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA

Doberge Cake

By Judy Walker, The Times-Picayune

February 25, 2009, 4:55AM

The 1987 privately published "Let's Bake with Beulah Ledner" cookbook by Maxine Wolchansky, Ledner's daughter, explains how the "Doberge Queen of New Orleans" adapted the famous Hungarian dobos torta to the local climate and gave it a French-sounding name, doberge (pronounced dough-bash). Ledner retired in 1981 at the age of 87 and died at age 93, leaving a legacy that lives on in her recipes (bought by Gambino's) for this popular cake that can be found and all over New Orleans.

Of course you would want all ingredients to be at room temperature before starting.

DOBERGE TORTE

1 ½ sticks butter
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated, whites stiffly beaten
1 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 ½ cups cake flour (measured after sifting)
Scant teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter, sugar and salt until smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and blend until smooth. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beat until blended. Add vanilla and lemon juice.

With a spatula, fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Grease 9-inch cake pans. Pour ¾ cup batter into each pan, spreading evenly over bottom. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Repeat process until batter is completely used, to make eight thin layers.

When cool, put layers together with chocolate custard filling and spread chocolate butter cream icing on top and sides. Chill. Then ice with Always Delicious Chocolate Icing.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 heaping kitchen spoons cocoa
4 tablespoons bitter chocolate
4 whole eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups (1 quart) milk

Stir all dry ingredients together in a saucepan, then add the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from fire to cool.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM ICING

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ pound oleo (margarine), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cocoa
1 ounce square bitter chocolate, melted

Cream sugar and oleo, then add cocoa, then the melted chocolate and vanilla. If too thick, add a little hot water, very slowly, until the consistency is right.

ALWAYS-DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE ICING

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
4 squares melted semi-sweet chocolate
½ stick butter
¾ cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and let it come slowly to a boil, then boil about 10 minutes until it thickens. Beat until thick enough to spread.

Oh, to be this fabulous again...

Summer snapshot... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Old Navy

If you've been following my blog for very long, you know I love making these collages or "sets" on Polyvore. If you haven't tried it yet, I must warn you, it's verah, verah addictive. It's like shopping without spending any money.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

Adoring designer Betsey Johnson...

What better way to celebrate Pink Saturday than with the ever-fabulous, Betsey Johnson. I mean, how cool is she? Love her!

Check out more photos of Betsey's apartment here.

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Sterling-silver pine-cone necklace...

Ya'll know pine cones are one of my favorite things so I was thrilled to find these sterling-silver pine-cone necklaces. I bought one for myself and gave one to my little sister. She loves pine cones too.

They are available at the Etsy store, Charms4U for only $11, plus $3 shipping. They even come in a cute, little gift box.

Dish towels to die for from To Dry For...

Check out these adorable dish towels from To Dry For...











These and many more available for purchase here.

If I were going to get a tattoo...

I don't have any tattoos... and I'm too old to get one. However, if I were going to get one, it would be one of these...

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm

A Century at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas, 1907–2007

I sure do miss Blue Bell ice cream. They don't sell it in Wyoming... and they didn't sell it in Virginia. That means I've been deprived of the best ice cream in the world since 1992.

You can buy this book about 100 years at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas, here.

If I were on a tropical island, I'd wear this today...

Urban Tropical by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Ted Baker tops

If you've been following my blog for very long, you know I love making these collages or "sets" on Polyvore. If you haven't tried it yet, I must warn you, it's verah, verah addictive. It's like shopping without spending any money.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

Fathers from my family tree...

Well, it's Father's Day so I thought you might like to meet some of the fathers in my family tree.

This is my great-grandfather... my paternal grandmother's father.


This is my great-grandfather... my paternal grandfather's father.


This is my paternal grandfather pictured with my dad.


More photos of my paternal grandfather.


This is my great-great-grandfather... my paternal great-grandmother's father.


So, there you have the fathers from my family tree. Unfortunately, there are no photos from my mother's side of the family.

Happy Father's Day!