What is a PieCaken? Hmmm. I’m so glad you asked. It looks like something by Picasso when you cut into it… a three-layer cake with two pies inside. Researching this recipe was a time-consuming rabbit hole that was absolute fun! For Thanksgiving you can use premade pecan pie for your bottom layer, then layer cinnamon buttercream frosting, then pre-made pumpkin pie with another layer of icing, then top with round of spiced pound cake and buttercream the whole thing. They patted on an oat crumble to the sides and topped with apple pie filling, then caramel sauce. Yikes, it was beautiful. I guess you could use cherry, apple, and peach pie with white cake. The secret is cutting the pies into the same size rounds as the cake layer. Several other recipes called for whole pies to be surrounded by cake batter and cooked, then iced. Did you know that you can whip regular canned icing so it’s easier to spread? Or add some whipped cream to the canned icing for an even tastier, and easy-to-ice consistency. I did not know this. Watch some of the videos if you get a chance. It’s quite a pretty dessert and no one else is going to show up with it at your next family get-together. Don’t have time to bake?!? No problem. With help from Three Brothers Bakery, you can order the Pumpecapple Piecake that serves 40 (hah), is 11” tall and weighs 23.5 pounds. It is known as the “turducken of desserts.” There are three layers – homemade pumpkin pie baked in a pumpkin spice cake, a homemade pecan pie baked in a chocolate cake, and homemade apple pie baked in a traditional spice cake, then iced with cream cheese frosting, garnished with pecans, and drizzled with homemade caramel. This beauty sells for just $250 with store pickup in Houston. Just look at the picture. If you haven’t ever enjoyed a treat from Three Brothers Bakery, prepare yourself. Everything they sell is delicious. Breads, apple strudel, pies, cakes, cookies, and more. Right now, they have cookies iced like the Ukraine flag if you are looking for a way to support the cause.
A party without a cake is really just a meeting. – Julia Child
An Irish Bank Robber
It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and an armed hooded robber bursts into the Bank of Ireland and forces the tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out the door with the loot, one brave Irish customer grabs the hood and pulls it off revealing the robber’s face. The robber shoots the guy without hesitation! He then looks around the bank to see if anyone else has seen him. One of the tellers is looking straight at him and the robber walks over and calmly shoots him also. Everyone by now is very scared and looking down at the floor. “Did anyone else see my face?‘ screams the robber. There are a few moments of silence, then one elderly Irish gent looking down, tentatively raises his hand and says, “I think me wife may have caught a glimpse.” 😊
Basement to Attic Tour of the 1892 Bishop’s Palace in Galveston on March 19th, a guided tour that includes places not usually seen by visitors. www.galvestonhistory.org.
“Hate to say it,” he began, “but we need to increase oil and gas output immediately.” said Elon Musk, billionaire developer of the signature electric car of our age, the Tesla. “Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.”
Fans of sci-fi Stars War franchise can hop aboard Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort for an immersive 2-night hotel adventure featuring Rey, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. Saudi Arabia killed 81 in mass execution of people convicted of crimes of killing to belonging to militant groups. Jonah Hill will play Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia, in a Martin Scorsese directed biopic about the psychedelic rock band. Tom Brady announced (yawn) that over the past two months he realized his place is still on the field, not in the stands, and will rejoin the NFL for a 23rd season and play for Tampa Bay.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Musician Elton John is 75. Actor Hal Linden is 91. Country singer-guitarist Ranger Doug of Riders in the Sky is 76. Drummer Carl Palmer of Asia & Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 72. Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan of Fabulous Thunderbirds is 71. Actor Holly Hunter is 64. Model Kathy Ireland is 59. Singer-keyboardist Rose Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 77. Actor Timothy Dalton is 76. Actor Matthew Broderick is 60. Actor-comedian Rosie O’Donnell is 60. Actor William Shatner is 91. Singer Jeremy Clyde of Chad and Jeremy is 81. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 70. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 79. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 74. Singer Diana Ross is 78.
Singer Chaka Khan is 69. Harmonica player Lee Oskar of War is 74. Actor Robert Carradine is 68. Actor Kelly LeBrock is 62. Film critic Gene Shalit is 96. Singer Anita Bryant is 82. Actor Paul Michael Glaser of Starsky and Hutch is 79. Actor Alan Arkin is 88. Actor James Caan is 82Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is 74. Singer-actor Vicki Lawrence is 73. Actor Martin Short is 72. Talk show host Leeza Gibbons is 65. Actor Jennifer Grey is 62. Dirty Dancing. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Director Spike Lee is 65.
William Hurt died at 71. Hurt won a best actor Oscar in 1986 for his work in Kiss of the Spider Woman. He earned another nomination a year later for Children of a Lesser God and another one the following year for Broadcast News. He was also up for an Academy Award in 2006 for his supporting role in A History of Violence. Children’s author Shirley Hughes died at 94. Johnny Brown died at 84. On Good Times, he played Nathan Bookman, the building superintendent. Conrad Janis died at 94. He was best known as Mindy’s dad on Mork and Mindy. Actor Mitchell Ryan died at 88. Actor Laurel Goodwin died at 79. Star Trek. Tim Considine died at 81. He was eldest son Mike on My Three Sons.
If we’re not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?
The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook. – Julia Child
Ukraine became an independent country in 1991 after the fall of the USSR and since then, the country’s flag has been a symbol of freedom. Now, as Russia invades Ukraine, the Ukrainian flag is being flown by people around the world in support and solidarity. Grapevine Gifts is now carrying the Ukraine flag. It is a very well-made flag that would normally sell for much more than $7, but these guys dropped the price so the citizens of Brazoria County can afford to show their support during the saddest of situations happening in our world right now. Go pick up one and display it for Ukraine.
There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone she loves. – Thomas Wolfe
Easter Basket Idea: Brach’s candy company is debuting their Late-Night Taco Truck pack, with margarita, churro, salsa, and beef taco flavors. Actually, it sounds fairly good to me. U.S. veterans and other volunteers with useful skills are boarding planes for Ukraine to join the fight. President Zelensky is creating an international legion and is asking for volunteers to help defend his nation against Russia.
Living legend Dolly Parton never fails to impress. At 76, she says she is “extremely flattered and grateful” to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but doesn’t want the votes to be split because of her nomination. So, she’s respectfully bowing out. “I do hope the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again – if I’m ever worthy,” she said. “This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock n’ roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do.” The woman never slows down. Dolly created The Dollywood Foundation in 1988 for literacy and education, and she made a $1 million contribution towards Covid-19 research. All tuition costs including fees and books, are offered for employees of Dollywood Parks & Resorts pursuing higher education. She’s had hits on country music charts since 1967 and has 3 billion worldwide streams of her music and 50 Grammy nominations. Now she is in partnership with Duncan Hines so you can make Dolly Cakes right in your own kitchen. Last week Dolly and best-selling novelist James Patterson (his sales top 425 million worldwide), released a book they wrote together, Run, Rose, Run. Several days before the book release, Dolly debuted a new album of 12 songs based on the book’s characters. Wow.
Additional Note: The other nominees for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction 2022 are Beck, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Devo, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Lional Richie, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest, Dionne Warwick, (who are some of these people?) and cough, cough, Dolly Parton. Yep, she is still on the list. You can cast your ballot in the Fan Vote if you have an authorized email address, by going to vote.rockhall.com. You can vote once a day (who has time for that) and when I voted, the top five artists were Duran Duran, Eminem, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton and Eurythmics, but you can vote until April 29th. Really, is rapper Eminem considered rock & roll? Dolly, just accept it graciously and go for it. We love you…
My weaknesses have always been food & men- in that order. – Dolly Parton
There is so much science in cooking. I was trying to make room in the cabinet for new spices (some people buy new nail polish colors… I buy spices), and I came across an old bottle of cream of tartar. In the past, I have used it for making meringues and divinity, plus an occasional recipe, but I had no idea what it was made from or other uses. I was surprised. After reading about it, I realized that I am not using it to its full potential. It is an acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. The acid in cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy flavor, and the chew happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness. Science! If you ever run out of baking powder, substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder in a recipe. Add a pinch of cream of tartar to boiling vegetables to help them keep their bright, fresh color. A pinch of cream of tartar also helps stabilize whipped cream to prevent it from deflating. There is a ton more that I will tell you later.
March’s Full Worm Moon is March 18th. It is called full worm because of the earthworms that wriggle out of the ground as the earth begins to thaw in March. Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking authorization for a second coronavirus booster shot for people 65 and older. Elon Musk has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to single combat, one-on-one fight, with the “stakes” being Ukraine. So far as I could find, Musk has yet to receive a response from Putin.
What I read… the odds of finding a four-leaf clover on your first try are 1 in 10,000 and the odds of a five-leaf clover are 1 in a million. I sent the newspaper picture to my daughter at college, who has always had the uncanny ability to find four-leaf and some five-leaf clovers every single time she sits down in a clover patch. She laughed because just weeks before, she had handed me a baggie full of four-leaf clovers that she was getting ready to throw away. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day. Thanks for reading us this week. Please keep Ukraine in your prayers.
LISA
