Serving & Storing Cake
To enjoy cakes at their best, follow these tips:
*Allow cakes with butter type frosting to stand for about an hour before slicing.
This allows the frosting to set.
*For cakes that are filled or frosted with whipped cream make sure to assemble
Them no more than 2 hours before serving. This will prevent them from
Getting soggy.
*To cut your cakes use a thin bladed knife cut pieces. Run the knife under hot
Water and make sure to wipe the knife dry before cutting the first piece
And in between subsequent cuts.
*For storing cakes most cakes can be covered and stored at room temperature
For 2 to 3 days. It is good to have a cake cover, but if you don’t have
A cake cover then just invert a large bowl over your cake. If you directly
Cover the cake with plastic wrap then it will for sure make a mess of the
Frosting.
*For those cakes that have a filling or a frosting that contains eggs, whipped
Cream or cream cheese it is best to store your cake covered in the fridge.
*If you want to freeze your cake then you should put your cooled and unfrosted
Cake layers on a baking sheet. Freeze them until they are nice and firm.
After the layers are frozen then transfer them to large freezer bags or wrap
Them and seal them in freezer wrap. They will keep in the freezer for up to
4 months. Thaw them before frosting.
*If you are serving your cake directly from the pan then cover them and freeze
Them in the pan. Make sure to thaw them before frosting them.
I just picked these delicious tomatoes from my indoor tomato plant today. 
Besides getting hit with a lawsuit or having the Department of Labor come after you for not paying employees properly (Fair Labor Standards Act) NOT paying the IRS is one of the worst things that can happen to a restaurant. Ray's Pizza, on 62nd & Lexington, has been shut down and seized for not paying their taxes.
Insulated Ice Cream Keeper Tubbies
I recently discovered this awesome product. If you are storing home-made ice cream or transporting your favorite store bought brand, this insulated ice cream keeper is a must. I cannot tell you how many times I have brought ice cream home from the store only to find ice cream soup. The Zak ice cream Tubbie fits a pint of ice cream from the store so that you can keep it cold on your way home. It is also great for packing cold salads to either take for lunch to your office or a party as well as holding homemade ice cream. This ice cream keeper (made by Zak) is fully insulated with a freezable gel lid to keep contents cold for up to 90 minutes. The 1 pint container measures 5x5x5 ½ inches. These ice cream keepers come in a variety of fun colors and are freezer and dishwasher safe, but NOT microwavable. The seal on the top seems to get quite tight and can be difficult to get off (which can be annoying) right after the container leaves the freezer, but within a few minutes it thaws enough to remove easily or you can run it under warm water for a moment. The cost is from $16 to $25 per Tubbie and can be purchased at either Amazon or the Zak Designs website.
http://www.planet-zak.com/Ice-Cream-Food-Storage-Containers-On-Go/b/5446588011
http://www.amazon.com/Zak-Designs-Insulated-Ice-Cream-Freezable/dp/B001SS1H96
A Word About Baking Powder
Baking powder is a leavening agent that reacts to liquid and heat and creates carbon dioxide gas, which expands the bubbles created by the creaming process, causing the cake to rise. Baking powder loses its effectiveness after six months to a year. Be sure to check the date on the can when you buy it or mark it yourself.
Love Those Leftovers
I hate to throw food away. I really do. Here are some ideas that will transform one night’s extras into a fresh meal.
Toss up a salad. Add leftover roasted meat or fish to fresh lettuces and vegetables. Sprinkle an assortment of cheeses and add your favorite dressing.
Stir up a soup. Cook leftover meats and vegetables in a chicken or vegetable broth. Add fresh or frozen vegetables and cook through. Season as you like. If you have leftover cooked pasta you may want to add as well. Let's not forget tofu.
If you cooked too much pasta don’t worry about it. You can add sausage and spinach to the next night’s leftover pasta. Add a little olive oil and grated cheese and you’re set.
Make some French bread sandwiches. Slice the French bread lengthwise. The long loaves are great for piling with leftover meat and topped with cheeses. Place under the broiler for tasty open-faced sandwiches.
Be creative. I have come up with some good recipes out of a fridge full of leftovers.
Fish & Shellfish Serving Sizes
Use these amounts as a guideline for how much fish or shellfish to purchase per person.
Whole Fish 12 Ounces to 1 Pound
Drawn or Dressed Fish 8 Ounces
Steaks or Fillets 4 to 5 Ounces
Shelled Shrimp 3 to 4 Ounces
Live Crabs 1 Pound
Whole Lobster 1 to 1 1/2 Pounds
Lobster Tail 8 Ounces
Cooked Lobster Meat 4 to 5 Ounces
I just made my Very Cherry Pie today.
Why I Like Kosher Salt
I nearly always cook with kosher salt (coarse salt) for its ease and its pure mild flavor. It’s coarser in texture than standard table salt, but the crystals are actually fine flecks that cling to food and dissolve quickly. The large irregular flakes also make it easier to sprinkle evenly and discriminately, especially when seasoning food to taste with a pinch of the fingers. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt in a recipe, begin with half the amount listed.
Saint Swithin’s Day
Saint Swithin is one of the “weather saints” particularly rain. There is a saying that goes:
Saint Swithin’s Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
Saint Swithin’s Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days ‘twill rain nae mair.
Saint Swithin’s connection with the weather, and particularly with the rain, doubtless comes from the legend that in his humility he asked to be buried outside his cathedral, where passersby would step over his grave and raindrops from the eaves would fall upon it. He lived in the 9th century and was for a time one of the counselors of the Saxon king, Egbert. Later be became Bishop of Winchester, where great devotion to him long prevailed. Little else is known of him except that his feast is celebrated on the date when his relics were removed from the humble grave he had desired and placed, nearly a century after his death, in a new shrine built for him, where many miraculous cures took place.
Besides the rain, Saint Swithin’s specialty is apples. To honor Saint Swithin we are making Apple Crumble Pie.
