banana rum coconut cake and a dream

in ,

Rainy and dreary here in Portland. Yes, the daffodils are blooming and the trees are budding, the temperature is rising and I know spring is almost here. Still, I'm over it. I want need some sunshine. I've been closing my eyes and going to my happy place, floating in the turquoise waters of the caribbean with the sun working it's magic. I knew when the mister walked in the door the other night with three mangos he was feeling the same way. It was time to bake a little tropical sunshine:

Banana Rum Coconut layer cake recipe from Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker.

Banana? Tropical. Rum? Tropical. Coconut? T-R-O-P-I-C-A-L!

I wanted to eat a slice of this cake and feel like I was sitting on the beach. I know those two are typically mutually exclusive. Who eats cake and thinks, cool, let me put on my bikini? But for today, in my little dream, cake and bikinis are friends.

The banana cake is very simple. I could tell from the picture in the book that it was going to be more on the dense side. After baking, it had risen up and I thought maybe I was wrong, but once it cooled it flattened out and my observation was correct: it was like a banana bread-cake.

The frosting is delish! Whipped cream, dark rum, and sugar. Top that off with some sweetened coconut and you're sipping a creamy tropical cocktail with your toes in the sand.

 

window box

in
 

I keep trying to remind myself that summer will come. It will be hot.

I probably will even complain about the heat and the sun, and maybe, just maybe I'll catch myself saying, "what I wouldn't do for a rainy day!" -

although right now I can't even imagine saying such a thing.

I planted our window boxes on our porch with summer heat in mind: cool colors, soothing textures, and low maintenance.

I used Echeveria  like 'lola', 'deranosa', and 'metallica', non stop tuberous begonias with black variegated leaves and white ruffly blossoms, 'blackie' potato vine, string of pearls, licorice plant, dusty miller, black grass, lamium, and sedum in super textured and/or silvery varieties.

I look forward to the summer and those evenings after I put the little miss to sleep and can relax in the lounge chair with a glass of wine, the smell of the air as it starts to cool, the way the sky at dusk will throw off golden hues against the purple and pink sunset and will illuminate the plants in the window box; their leaves iridescent and shimmery, a box of succulent love glowing in the night.

chewy chocolate-cherry cookies

in

I wanted chocolate.

This led me to flip through my collected recipe/idea binder, which led me to chewy chocolate-cherry cookies.

I found the recipe in Cooking Light many years ago. It's almost like a chocolate crinkle cookie except with dried cherries and chocolate chips.

Very yummy.

I topped half my batch with a little fleur de sel as soon as I removed them from the oven. I like sweet and salty.

If you would like to make them, see the recipe page.

 

mini seating: found. fixed up. personalized.

in ,

Our friends found this little step stool/mini seat for one dollar at a thrift store. One dollar!

They brought it home and with some sandpaper, stencils, masking tape, paint, a good idea and some love, they transformed it into personalized seating for the little miss.

How amazing is it to have such crafty and kind friends?!

Keep your eyes peeled while thrifting or hitting those yard sales.

This is a fun project and makes for a great gift.