Joyce's Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

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Last year for Thanksgiving I was in Virginia and tasted a delicious cake at a luncheon.  I proceeded to not only ask the lovely Joyce to make me another one (I had to take one home with me) but for the recipe as well.  It has taken me almost a year but I have finally attempted it to mixed reviews.  The cake itself which is a box-mix with some additional ingredients is turning out delicious each time.  

The frosting is an entirely different story.  It is a very sweet chocolate frosting that hardens a bit after it has cooled but mine is still too granulated.  

I am posting the recipe in hopes that someone reading will try it out and give me some feedback.  When the cake is made correctly, it is a perfect combo of cake and frosting.  I kid you not when I say that I've eaten an entire sheet pan of it in two days. 

Try it out and tell me what you think.  I am writing out the recipe as it was given to me, though I have put in a couple footnotes for you.

 

Joyce's Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cake 

  • Yellow Cake Mix
  • Packet of Instant Vanilla Pudding
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large Eggs

Combine all ingredients and bake in a 1/2 sheet pan

Frosting 

  • 3 cups Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa  
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 3/4 cup Sweet Milk* 
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Nuts**

MIx Cocoa and Sugar

Add Milk and stir until it is dissolved 

Bring the mixture to a boil and cover pot for one minute. 

Remove from the heat, add butter and vanilla

Beat until consistency is spreadable. 

 

*I first interpreted this as sweet condensed milk but it didn't work and attempted it a second time with evaporated milk

**optional and both times Joyce made the cake for me it was without nuts

 

Monday's: The First Day of my Search

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Since the beginning of the process to have Gigi, I knew that I wanted to stay home with her.  I saw my role as a stay at home Dad very clearly; roaming the city with my little lady, teaching her everything she needed for a full life while creating new recipes and defining what this life should look like for all guys.  It was the penultimate goal in a city where you are defined by what you do, I would step away and be a Dad.  Sixteen months later things look very different.  I am thrilled that Gigi has thrived under my care. That we've had this time to bond and develop a major relationship, one that I believe is partially defined by my ability to be with her full time.  That all being said, I am not sure I am defined by anything or if what I am defined as is what I want.  I am feeling a little half full these days and for some time now.  I started a job hunt but abandoned it in the midst of a gorgeous summer; now we are in September, quickly approaching October.  So, the time has come for me to buckle down and find a life... well, expand the life I lead.  The question is; Do I go back to a full-time job or do I take this golden moment and create something I can build while still being available to my little lady.  Monday mornings bring so many questions I could fill the whole page (whatever that means on a blog).  I'll be working on it solidly now; that is after I go to the gym... Dada's gotta work on his fitness.

ps.  Working on a cake recipe that is going to change your life... keep reading

 

And it begins - FALL

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Vacation was a truly lovely tour of the best beaches in the states and we had the best time.  Gigi, still afraid of the sand, was thrilled to be on the beach.  I think once we get past this pesky fear she is going to be a real lady of the playa.  

I'm home again and re-entry has been pretty smooth.  Gigi and I are back at the gym.  I am sporting some sort of damaged deltoid tie-in while miss gigi has found her feet and is walking into the kids club on her own.  I've been to the greenmarket - italian plums are out.  I've also been catching up on things in my apartment but I must say, generally, that it is time to get in Fall mode and start being much more productive.  To that end, I am writing this post. 

And that brings us to today when I worked out, built Gigi a fort with the sofa cushions and am now writing thank you notes.  I love a good thank you note.  I love stationary and pens.  It's truly why it took me so long to start blogging; I think, in the back of my mind, that I would write it all in a book one day.  I am thinking this delivery vehicle might be more palpable to y'all.  

So here is a shout out - The thank you notes are to the lovely folks who hosted us in East Hampton, The Pines and finally Laguna Beach.   I must say that I have some of the best friends and family.  All so incredibly generous of spirit.  It was so much fun every where we went and everyone was sooo sweet to Gigi, which to me is MAJOR.

I'm also cooking.  Note to reader:  I cook a lot.  I am home and after the very early hour of 6:30 when Gigi goes to bed, I have not much to do so I cook things.  Tonight's culinary experiment is a ratatouille.  I was in the greenmarket on Wednesday when I threw in the farmer's tote eggplant, summer squash, zucchini and small yellow, red and orange peppers.  The market was so breezy for the first time since Spring.  It just felt like a moment for a season vegetable dish.  So yummy.  I was going to serve it with some chicken but I can't fucking eat another chicken.  Two nights ago it was roasted, a personal specialty.  Last night the chicken was made with prunes, capers, olives, vinegar, wine and brown sugar; it was perfection.  It's Sam's mother's recipe and Sam made it for us.  Louise -  if you are reading this,  It was amazing!  I hope you'll invite me to Michigan soon so that you can make it for me personally.  I'll post the recipe for y'all soon - Sam's permission pending.  

So that brings us back to the ratatouille and what to serve it with and the answer ended up being pasta.  I am tossing the ratatouille with pasta.  Feels fairly predictable for me to do but alas it just sounds too delish to pass up.   And that's that y'all.  I am going to finish up the cards and set the table because I am getting hungry.  Not a glamorous Thursday in NYC but I am betting on super yummy - I hope.

 

 

Before the ratatouille cooked down a bit.  YUM

Before the ratatouille cooked down a bit.  YUM

Beach Gypsies

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The last two weeks of August are always the happiest, the most relaxing and the saddest of the year.  It's the two weeks when I do nothing but sit on the beach and watch summer sink into the horizon.  For many years you could find me in the Pines applying Ban De Soleil with my boys and dancing at tea.  Gigi has, like with so many things, changed my routine a bit.  This summer we are on the road traveling east to west like beach gypsies. 

Let me put it right out there; I'm a beach snob.  I like my sand devoid of boardwalks, funnel cakes and very often, people.  I prefer Long Island to New Jersey and the further east the better.  I want to see ocean, sand and dunes.  That's it!  Maybe the occasional cute guy or downtown kid but til Gigi wants to play with other children, we'll be in the most secluded part of any beach we are on.

Our journey began last weekend in East Hampton.  The Hamptons is one of those places I really thrive in and not for the bougie reasons you might think; I'm not a scene person.  I love how gorgeous it is.  I love being able to grab an ice cream in town or pop over to a farm for Gigi's favorite fruit - blueberries.  I also really enjoy having alternative dinner options to me cooking all the time; I ate more Smokin Wolf BBQ than I would like to remember.  We also sailed a bit, shopped a bit and caught up with family and friends. 

After East Hampton we started our western journey; First stop - The Fire Island Pines.  Having summered the better part of the last decade there, it was like going home.  I was lucky to have my best friends in the world there and so many incredibly special people to me around.  Gigi, ever so popular with the boys, was a huge hit.  She entertained them in the Pantry, on the beach and on the walks.  She is going to be either a major man-eater or striking fag-hag.  While I love East Hampton for my ability to do things, I love The Pines for exactly the opposite reason.  We cooked delicious meals, including a three-layer birthday cake, had the funniest dinner parties, hung with the boys and walked to one of the pretties beaches I know. 

Which brings us to last night when we made a pit stop at our apartment in town before hopping a flight this morning to the left coast.  This is definitely shaping up to be one of the best August vacations.  

 

 

First Birthday

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At the end of your first year as a parent there is a party.  You call it a First Birthday but to be honest, it’s a celebration of survival.  Gigi, who was born mid June 2012 in the pacific northwest, couldn't tell you what birthday she celebrated two weeks ago nor will she remember the guests and refreshments.  No, this party was for us; Parents, a little worn from a year of fractured sleep and learning how to manage the development of a little person.  

The day of Gigi's party, while I was setting up, I personally marked the occasion by accidentally cutting my finger so bad I had to run out of my apartment and have a doctor fix it for me.  At the time it was a great inconvenience and quite painful (Vicodin helped) but I realized that at the end of a life changing year that paused my career, brought me a daughter and overall turned my world upside down, maybe the only way to truly mark the day was with blood.

Throwing parties is one of my life loves; I revel in hosting people.  Gigi's popularity brought 40+ people to our apartment despite it being Father's Day.  The ceilings were dressed in 300 pink balloons (three different shades to create an ombre), tables set with desserts and candy, all washed down flutes with rose champagne.  It was a perfect afternoon.  We were also very lucky that a friend, Victor Jeffreys II, came by with his camera.  Victor has a talent for capturing life as it is happening and not in that usual fashion of posed portraits and u-shaped group shots.  These photos are amazing; showing an unadulterated snapshot of life that afternoon.  A big thanks to Victor and y’all who came out to celebrate my little lady's First Birthday.  Enjoy the photos!

Saturdays are for Jars

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I love jars.  I love jarring.  I like using what is fresh today and preserving it for tomorrow - I believe that’s the rational of all those who encase things in class.  I am also the sorta guy who isn’t happy unless he is being productive.  I am not good at napping or watching hours of TV all day.  Even laying on the beach, in my mind, is about achieving the perfect tan more than escaping the noise or listening to the ocean.  But I have digressed.  This saturday after the gym, I popped over to the green market in Union Square and picked up a few things to occupy myself with that afternoon; carrots (white and orange), radishes and kirbies.

I know it sounds quaint; young homo stays in to jar veggies but Saturdays Gigi spends a majority of the day with J and I get to decompress from a week of non-stop little lady activity.  I can see in Gigi's green eyes the need for a little space from me and I am happy to grant her the time.  So, the Saturdays I am in town I slowly get errands done and walk the city but this Saturday it was about getting ready for a summer of cocktails parties by jarring.

I am not going to bore you with the process of jarring things; cutting the veggies, the brines, etc.  If you are interested there is a much more experienced blogger at foodinjars.com to read.  I will say, that I have used different recipes for each veggies to give my guests a variety of flavors.  Spicy, citrusy, and even a jar with some ginger.

I plan on serving the pickles, carrots and radishes on a cheeseboard this week in East Hampton.  Everyone loves something homemade on the board and pickled veggies are an easy, quick way to amp it up.

 If you are tottering out east, come by the boat for a cocktail; my father is a good mixologist and my cheese board will be delish, of course.    

 

My First Post

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My first post.  When I had Gigi one year ago I decided I would start this blog.  I am the only stay-at-home dad I know and I had a vision of y'all wanting to hear about every moment of the experience.  An experience, like the proverbial rabbit hole, that never seems to land you on exactly solid ground.  You find yourself teetering at all times, a little unsteady, a little nauseated from the fall and incredibly elated that it is all happening.  So, it has taken me a year.  Partially due to having my hands full with a little girl still unable to speak, walk or feed herself and partially because I wasn’t sure what you would want to hear about.  I had forgotten that you want (I hope) to hear what I want to tell you and so today I start.  My First Post.  An introduction to a life a little on edge and incredibly interesting in the details and small things that happen.  

So let me tell you about being a stay-at-home dad... it sorta sucks.  Gigi, amusing and darling, is my only sole reliable source of conversation and being that she only says five adorable phrases & words, Dad, Circle, Luce, What's that and MMMMMHHHHH, I'm a bit in need, of a bit more.  Last summer in the hay day of being a new father and recently retired I found endless things to occupy my time during the 20 hours Gigi slept.  There are jars of pickled peaches, plums and pickles on the shelf.  I reorganized my books and objet countless times (currently color coordinated), and ate my way through many farm inspired pasta dishes and stone fruit pies.  This last one was particularly fun as I gained a bunch of weight and had to resort to depression fueled anorexia to lose it; lose it I did, by the way and looking like a gay gent should.  So, I am bored.  A little frustrated.  Now, I must not let us overlook the good.  I wouldn't want you to invest your time in reading something that is sad and depressing.  Gigi has thrived!  She is walking and talking and pointing out things and swimming and playing and is incredibly happy.  I must also admit that I think she likes me.  

Well, where do we go from here?  I could start telling you about my plans to go back to work; pitching stories and finding on air placements for a new company, which can't live without fairly good publicity skills (I hope).  I could start telling you about my home, favorite recipes or the cute guy who stopped to chat with Gigi on the way home from the gym.  I could start right now.  I won't.  Let's let this marinate and I will do a second post.   

Thanks in advance for reading us... I promise not to waste your time.   

Gigi & Joe

Gigi & Joe