The madness of the holidays is almost over and many of us are about to turn over a new leaf in 2011. Maybe one of your resolutions was for more efficiency and less waste? Well then I have the Giveaway for you. The Senseo Stay or Go Personal Coffee Maker.
Confession: I have resisted the individual coffee makers and pods for a while. My first experience years ago didn’t leave a favorable impression. So I stuck to my old school methods of grinding my beans and brewing. With it just being Certain Someone and myself, that could lead to a lot of expensive wasted coffee. Then I was lucky to get a Senseo Stay or Go to try and I have used it daily for the past few weeks. So easy and convenient with no waste. I have very large mugs and like to make it strong with two Senseo pods. You can fit your travel mug or cup underneath. Ironically after receiving my Senseo from Hamilton Beach, I have been seeing everyone is on the Single Serve Coffee maker trend at all the houses I visited over the holidays. Most important was taste. Certain Someone and I cant agree on coffee and strengths, but both of us are mutually pleased. He’s picky you know.Germans are the worlds biggest coffee drinkers , besides beer.
So to kick off 2011 I am giving away a Senseo Stay or Go Single Serve Coffee Maker which comes complete with an assortment of Senseo Coffee pods. Its going to be a week of Giveways to kick off the new year. All I need you to do is leave a comment here. If you join my Coco Cooks Fan Page or Tweet this, that counts as double vote. Please be sure to tell me you joined my Fan Page or tweeted in your comments. I will be picking the winner on Saturday , January 8, 2011.
I wish you health, happiness, joy, and prosperity in 2011.
*Coco Cooks received a Senseo Stay or Go Single Serve Coffee Maker from MWW Group for review and for a Giveaway.
Racism is a word a lot people want to avoid or deny. Most racism is insidious and just kind up creeps up and pops into place where you hardly imagine. As I walk in a Black woman’s shoes, my perceptions of incidents are my own and not always shared by my friends of other races. It could be for various reasons, they don’t believe it , or don’t want to believe it.
For example, a few years ago I was at a dinner party consisting of a crowd of those in the medical profession, scholars and attorneys. A normal crowd for me and one in which I grew up in. Anyway I was having a discussion with a so called liberal woman ( the type who find you find in Evanston or Hyde Park near the universities) as she grilled me with the usual questions:
How I knew the couple? (What you went to school with them?)
Where my accent came from (because I don’t have one.)
Who my people where (smile)
Where I work, what do I do
…and a whole bunch more of the kind of questions you get when a so called liberal can’t figure you out because you don’t fit their perceived stereotypes.We were talking about Opera ,and she assumed my association with it was that I was a singer, not a patron of the arts or leader of a junior board. At the end of our conversation she said…brace yourself… “You’ll go far Blackbird”. I was shocked and appalled because she just threw it in like a Molotov Cocktail in a genteel club. Out of no where and totally from left field. The polite private school, educated in Europe woman,I am didn’t go off on the woman but excused myself and immediately told my host and friends, who did not believe me and were dismissive. One even said she was trying to make a compliment.That incident was jarring and revealed a lot to me about my so called friends at the time and society. See I grew up sheltered in a predominantly white society and my Mommy always warned me, but I was to naive to see some things. Nor did I want to.Because who wants to actively search for the ugly aspects of life?
So it doesn’t surprise me, yet I’m still surprised ,that the Duncan Hines Incident barely made a ripple on the internet. I have seen more outrage and commotion over a top bloggers mistreatment or slight, a medieval pie recipe being plagiarized with snark retorts, a poor lunch served at a major conference, or a shortage of canned pumpkin in the Fall. When my journalist friend sent me the link to this insulting video on Twitter, I was appalled. I forwarded it to others and posted it to my fan page. Barely a murmur. The only ones indignant where my friends Bren, Chrystal, and my journalist friend who showed me. The one thing we all have in common besides writing, love for food, is that we are educated influential Black women.
A hot shot Chicago ( don’t get me started on Chicago’s racial divides) director named Josh Binder, no stranger to controversial ads ,conceived this Black face parody for Duncan Hines of Hip Hop cupcakes dancing to what is most definitely NOT Hip Hop music. Harmless, fun with baking ?An ode to modern culture? I think not. The derogatory signs are blaring.
Why bring Hip Hop into the equation? There is nothing Hip Hop about it.
Can’t chocolate glaze be shown another way?
Why not show the lone Vanilla cupcake dancing too?
Why is the lone vanilla cupcake singing off key?What it’s not Hip Hop enough?
Why are the eyes and lips pronounced like the most stereotypical derogatory offensive images of Blacks that have plagued us since slavery?
As someone in sales management , I ask what marketing and leadership teams teams allowed this minstrel show to pass through the endless meetings and planning stages? Where there no self respecting African Americans or other minorities on the Duncan Hines or advertising teams or were they just to intimidated to speak up? Duncan Hines has pulled the Amazing Glazes Video from You Tube but you can still see it on various sites. Finally their management saw Amazing Glazes Chocolate Cupcakes going Hip Hop wasn’t so wise .They realized African Americans have huge buying power and don’t want a negative fiscal impact, especially with the peak holiday baking . A few sites such as Huffington Post and others who have the clip ,carry comments and polls showing most people don’t feel the ad was racist. This country is so politically and racially divided that some of the comments I saw left a nasty after taste in my mouth.
What do you think? In my opinion Duncan Hines and Pinnacle Foods can take it’s minstrel show and Kiss My Brownie. Ironically Pinnacle Foods Group also owns Aunt Jemima , who has been transformed from the most demeaning do ragged Mammy type image, into a modern day homemaker with relaxed hair.No matter how you dress her, the hurtful insensitivity still lingers.
So that’s my two cents. I have a lot of things to post about right now that are more in keeping with the Holiday Spirit, but I felt compelled to write this. Agree or disagree, but this is how I see it as a Black woman. It’s shameful and sad because while I have far evolved in my baking from the box mixes, I remember learning how to bake with Duncan Hines products.Please check out my other fellow Brown Bloggers opinion on this matter. We feel as bloggers of color we needed to say something, even if the rest of the food blogging community chooses to ignore or dismiss it as harmless cupcake fun.
Thanks for all the great responses.Most of it has been pretty positive and a few negative comments. The purpose of this post was to create a dialogue about cultural sensitivity in corporate America and the media, and that we have. As a result some other Bloggers from all walks of life and cultures have also posted their views .
This post is long overdue, but I wanted to create something special with the Talenti Sobetto and Gelatos I received a while back. Certain Someone and I have been enjoying this terrific product immensely since receiving them.
…perhaps many of your readers may be interested in a refreshing cold dessert that is free of dairy, but still decadent and delicious.Talenti Hill Country Peach Champagne Sorbetto is made with the purest of ingredients such as peaches, purified water, cane sugar, champagne, oranges, lemons and white wine. After which the Talenti family incorporates the gorgeous ingredients using the artisanal methods made famous in Italy. Talenti Peach Champagne Sorbetto has zero saturated fats, zero trans fats and is cholesterol-free.Talenti Hill Country Peach Champagne Sorbetto is wonderful for people with dairy sensitivities, because it is not made from dairy by-products of any-kind. Talenti Sorbettos come in a variety of flavors and are sweeping the nation as one of the top luxury cold desserts of choice.
I received about thirteen gelatos and sorbets . The flavors are incredible.My favorite being the Dulce de Leche. But other than eating them , I brainstormed what more I could do with them. Talenti suggested the classic Bellini.
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Talenti Bellini:
Talenti Sorbetto
Prosecco, Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Champagne Flute
Directions: Simply dollop a spoonful of your chosen flavor of Talenti Sorbetto into the bottom of a champagne flute and top off with chilled Prosecco, Champagne or Sparkling Wine. Serve and Enjoy!
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…But when the holidays come around I think of my mother. She was known for her punches. No holiday, birthday, or gathering wouldn’t be complete without a punch of hers. At her memorial service her good friend eulogized about Jackie and her punch bowl. It was beautiful. So inspired by her her, I give you Sparkling Roman Raspberry Punch made with Talenti Sorbetto. Plus the art of Punch seems to making a comeback.Happy Holidays!
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Sparkling Roman Raspberry Punch
Roman Raspberry Talenti Sorbetto
2 bottles Sparkling Apple Cider
1 16oz bag of frozen raspberries
1 cup good rum
1 cup Cointreau
In a punch bowl place frozen raspberries. Add rum and Cointreau. Muddle. Add Sorbetto. Mash it up a bit. Add Sparkling Apple Cider. mix to dissolve the sorbetto. Serve.
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*Roepke Public Relations contacted Coco Cooks and arranged for the delivery of Talenti samples. My opinions are given freely and are unbiased.
I love success stories such as Kathleen King’s from Tate’s Bake Shop in South Hampton. Her fans are legion from Gwyneth, Rachel Ray and Ina Garten, who wrote the forward for the Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook. From tasting the cookies,reading about her and Tate’s, I see Kathleen King is a perfectionist. Her baked goods are Americana, simply. For all the macarons, financiers, and elaborate tortes, there is a simple perfection in American Pastry that cant be rivaled. Tate’s cookies are crisp and buttery , and taste like something I would bake myself. And that’s what won me over.
Thumbing through Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook with a foreword from Ina Garten, I knew I had to make the Hummingbird Cake. I have heard of this cake only recently and was intrigued. A Southern favorite similar to carrot cake , but composed of bananas, pineapple,pecans, and in this particular recipe coconut. It’s a simple,wholesome cake that any banana fan,will love. I took extra liberty and added some rum to the cream cheese frosting , as these ingredients screamed for it in my opinion.
According to Kathleen…
“All the recipes in this book should take less time to make than it would to go to a store to buy a commercially prepared baked good…”
The Giveaway
I am offering a giveaway for one lucky reader in the United States.Please leave a comment to be eligible.I will chose one winner from a random drawing by Saturday December 4, 2010.
You will have an extra chance of winning if you become a fan of Tate’s on Facebook. Please let me know on your comment here if you did join their Fan Page .
You will receive a gift box of Tate’s Cookies and The Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook.
All of my readers can use this discount code “cookie” until December 31 for 15% off any tatesbakeshop.com purchase.
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Tate’s Bake Shop Hummingbird Cake
adapted from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups of very ripe mashed bananas
1 8z can crushed pineapple drained
1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut (Angel Flake can be used if other item is unavailable)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon vanilla
* I decorated my cake with ground pecans
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease two 9×2 inch cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment.
In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon , and salt.
In another large mixing bowl , beat together oil and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
Scrape down the sides.
Add the mashed bananas, pineapple, coconut, and pecans, and vanilla.
Mix well.
Add the flour mixture, and scrape down sides to ensure all is mixed well.
Divide the mixture evenly between both cake pans. Fill until almost full, as this cake batter does not rise too much.
Bake cake for 40-45 minuted or until a cake tester or toothpick stuck int eh center comes out clean.
Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes.
Turn them out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
Those that know me well, know I’m totally am not into whole popularity contests I see going on the food blog world.So many contests lately are based on who can rustle up the most votes rather than actual merit. There I said it and but it’s really a pet peeve of mine. However there are some challenges and contests that genuinely appeal to me , and that I would want to do just for the pure joy and creative outlet it provides. When I saw this email announcement from the Foodie Blogroll for an Iron Foodie Contest with Marx Foods, I said I so want to do this! So here is Step One, which is to answer these questions:
Why do you want to compete in this challenge?
I believe I answered this above. But an Iron Foodie Challenge from Marx Foods is right up my alley. I have entered several Marx contests before and love their offerings of premium meats, poultry, and pasta. It’s been a while since I did anything with them but this challenge is calling my name. Iron Chef with Marx Ingredients. Oh yes! I have the creativity for this one. Bring it on.
Limitations of time/space notwithstanding, whose kitchen would you like to spend the day in & why? Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria, James Beard, Marie-Antoine Careme, or The Swedish Chef?
Marie-Antoine Careme, bien sur! I love history and even more so food history. That’s what sets me apart from the average blogger, in that I know who he is. Check out my peach souffle I made for his Birthday. I can see my myself time travelling to work with the first Celebrity Chef who cooked for kings and heads of state. To toil in the kitchens with him and construct elaborate piece montees, souffles and the vol au vents which he invented by the way. Of course as a time traveller I would know he would meet an early end from all that carbon monoxide he inhaled in those non ventilated ancient kitchens. But of the palaces we would see and and the education I would get. Yes that’s who I would want to work with for one imaginary day. I would probably have to disguise myself as a man, but a girls got to do what she’s got to do.
What morsel are you most likely to swipe from family & friends’ plates when they aren’t looking?
The olives. They should never go to waste. And bits of crispy skin.
Sum your childhood up in one meal.
A seafood feast of lobsters and Dungenesee crabs. I was very spoiled and my mother encouraged and indulged my tastes.
The one mainstream food you can’t stand?
Peanut Butter repulses me. I get sick just smelling it.
So step one is completed. I do hope I get chosen among the lucky 25 bloggers to compete.
In other food news….
If you are in Chicago this week,you should check out the Sears Chef Challenge Grand Championship on November 4th. Along with the competition, a canned food drive benefiting the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation will also take place during the Sears Chef Challenge Grand Championship. They are also encouraging attendees donate products when they arrived at the Kenmore Live Studio. Here are the details:
Chicago’s own Le Cordon Bleu Chef Mark Maassen will be competing to win an additional $10,000 to donate to a local Chicago food pantry charity for an overall donation of $20,000, as well as a full kitchen renovation from Sears. Maassen will face New York-based Chef Alex Dino on Nov. 4 for the Championship round of the Sears Chef Challenge after defeating 22 other chefs in previous rounds of the Sears Chef Challenge competition.
The competition is free to the public and attendees will be able to view the cook-off as well as experience and taste the food. In addition, those who will not be able to attend the event will still be able to view it by streaming the competition online at www.SearsChefChallenge.com.
Kenmore Live Studio 678 North Wells (Huron & Wells) Chicago, IL 60654 312.265.0871
