Monthly Archive for October, 2010

My German Chocolate Cake “Throwdown”

Bobby Flay's "Throwdown"

Bobby Flay

I made birthday cupcakes for my husband’s office just after we moved to California 16 years ago. My husband requested German chocolate cupcakes, which is one of my favorites desserts. I happened to be very busy at work at the time, so I opted for (gasp!) store-bought frosting. The cupcakes tasted horrible, so I made an emergency call to my mom asking for Grandma’s recipe for German chocolate cake frosting. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My grandma passed down the best coconut-pecan frosting, the technical name for German chocolate cake frosting, ever. I have since made it dozens of times for my friends in California, happily sharing a nugget of my German-Czech-Midwestern upbringing.

Now for my dirty little secret: I have always used a cake mix. I know, it’s embarrassing. I simply thought the frosting was so delicious the actual cake could never hold a candle, so there was no need to bother. And then, I saw the light…

On a typical Sunday night, I was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. But this episode was especially intriguing. Bobby was on the war-path to make the best German chocolate cake ever, and he wanted to beat the famous “Make My Cake” bakery in Harlem, New York City. Bobby’s Throwdown was my inspiration to create the ultimate cake to support my grandma’s coconut-pecan frosting.

Since that episode aired, I have been on a mission to make a cake that can hold a candle to my grandma’s delicious frosting. Once I have that magical recipe figured out, I’ll write again, but I doubt I will ever share my grandma’s recipe for the frosting. It’s just that good.

In honor of Bobby Flay’s Throwdown, the title of famous show and his new cookbook, I am giving away a copy of the cookbook to one lucky reader. Write a comment below to be entered to win the prize. Share your favorite German chocolate cake recipe to be entered twice. The good folks at the Food Network will mail a copy to you, and you can cook more than 100 recipes from his shows, from meatloaf to matzo ball soup. Deadline for entry is November 12, 2010; entries from the U.S. and Canada only. Make sure you leave an email address, so I can notify the winner.

Good luck and happy cooking!

– LTV Mom

About Bobby Flay’s Throwdown: Are you ready? Every week on Throwdown!, celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay goes head-to-head with cooks who have staked their claim as masters of an iconic dish—buffalo wings, chicken cacciatore, or sticky buns, for example—even though he may never have cooked these things before. The results are always entertaining—and delicious. In his first-ever cookbook collaboration with Food Network, Bobby shares the recipes and fun from his popular show.

The ultimate companion cookbook to one of America ’s favorite food shows, Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! lets home cooks and fans in on the action, featuring favorite Throwdown! moments and behind-the-scenes peeks alongside beautiful, all-new color food photography created just for this book. So if Bobby Flay ever strolls into your backyard asking “Are you ready for a Throwdown?” you definitely will be! Get your copy today at foodnetwork.com/store.

Photo Credit: Food Network

Note: The prize is provided by Food Network. I volunteered to write this post, without compensation. The words are mine and unedited.

Published
by
Stacy Libby
on October 31, 2010
in Food, Food Network, Giveaways and Laptop Television
. 8 Comments

When people I love have breast cancer.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As we wrap up National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I reflect on the thoughtful, inspirational blog posts I read throughout the month.  You know what, I have amazing friends across the blogosphere. One friend in Raleigh is determined to cure breast cancer. Another is worried about inheriting the BRCA gene because her mother had breast-cancer. Many walked 60 miles to raise money to find a cure. And one brave friend details her personal fight to “kick breast cancer in the ass.”

Heroic? Yes. Strength only a woman can have? I certainly think so.

Women are strong creatures, which is why I want the people I love to “fight like a girl” when faced with breast cancer. This year, Breast Cancer Awareness Month hits close to home. My best friend’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. Thankfully, she is doing well and currently is cancer-free. I saw her shortly after she was diagnosed. I could tell she was struggling both emotionally and physically, so I hugged her and told her we would fight this together. Fight she did, and I am so proud of her.

This also is the first Breast Cancer Awareness Month where I can point to someone my age, someone I grew up with, someone I love, someone fighting the good fight.  I have not one, but TWO, college friends who are dealing with the disease. We are all young (40 or younger). One has a success story to share, the other had her last treatment of chemo today.

I am humbled and overwhelmed by the strength and spirit of my friends, they are amazing women. Both are active members of their local communities. Both are loving wives with amazing husbands. Both are mothers to four beautiful children. Both are graduates from Iowa State University. Both are my beloved sorority sisters. Both are my friends. Both are breast cancer survivors.

I have a message for my friends Gretchen and Becky, and to my “other-mother” Gloria, and I don’t say it often enough: I am proud of you. I am humbled by your strength. I am blessed to be in your life. Keep fighting the good fight and being the examples you have become.

- LTV Mom

This post was inspired by participation with the Yahoo! Mother Board, where 80 amazing women share thoughts on a single topic each month. While Yahoo! is my client, these thoughts are mine and I did not receive compensation for writing this post.

Photo credit: Fight Like a Girl

Published
by
Stacy Libby
on October 28, 2010
in Laptop Television and Yahoo! Mother Board
. 7 Comments

I left my heart in San Francisco.

I moved to Austin, Texas earlier this year. Honestly, I love it here. Austin is a cool city with great people. (And dare I mention amazing public schools and parking spaces wide enough for my SUV?) I truly am happy here and can’t wait to raise my daughter in this amazing community.

But, I have to tell you, watching the San Francisco Giants earn a spot in the World Series reminds me how much I love (and miss) my adopted home-town. I love the Bay Area. To date, my years in the “city by the bay” are my happiest. I built a life, a career, a home and (best yet) a family there. I am loyal to my beloved city.

Now, the San Francisco Giants are playing in the World Series. Just last week, I was in San Francisco when the Giants won a play-off game, and I was in Santa Cruz when they lost a play-off game. It became apparent to me: I am a Giants fan.

The irony of it all? The Giants are playing in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

Everyone in Austin is ready to cheer for the Rangers, ready to show their Texas pride. I think that is awesome. BUT, I feel a stirring inside me, a reminder that perhaps  I left my heart in San Francisco. When I watch videos like the one above and see the Giants fans rallying together, I get a little sad because I am not there.

The up-side? I know who I am. I am an Austinite who loves the Giants! So, I’ll don the black and orange in a sea of Texan red-white-and-blue. Proudly. GO GIANTS!

– LTV Mom

Published
by
Stacy Libby
on October 26, 2010
in Laptop Television, Sports and Trying to be Cool
. 4 Comments

WINOS Pick of the Week: Can Vendrell Penedes

It’s been ages since I wrote a WINOS Pick of the Week, but trust me, the lack of wine-posts is not a reflection of the amount of wine being consumed in my house. I’ve just been busy with work and life. This post is actually two firsts for LTV Mom: 1) I am writing about a Spanish wine, and 2) I am including a vlog from Organic Wine Review (Watch. Laugh. Drink.) The tagline alone makes me love these guys!

Last week I enjoyed a dinner for two (with one of my amazing girlfriends) at Cyprus Bistro and Cafe, a quaint organic restaurant in downtown Campbell, Calif. We were so excited for two hours of uninterrupted chatting and solving all the world’s problems. Little did we know we also would discover a new wine.

I was in the mood for steak, so I ordered a grilled filet mignon with a cherry compote and loads of grilled organic veggies. The restaurant is strictly organic, so I was unfamiliar with most of the wines on the list. I asked the waiter to recommend a wine to pair with the meal, and he suggested a 2006 Can Vendrell from Penedes, Spain. This particular wine is a blend of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 40 percent Tempranillo, and is made from organic grapes. The wine is also vegan, which means there are no animal products (such as gelatin) used during the fermentation process.

My friend and I each ordered a glass of the Can Vendrell, and it was love at first sip. We enjoyed the rich cherry flavors, and it paired very well with the beef. It’s got a unique flavor, but it’s not so complex or bold that it’s scary for red-wine newbies. Organic wine distributor Organic Vintners calls this wine “bright and lively.” My friend and I agreed, and we left the restaurant with two bottles each!

If you are in the mood for something different, I recommend you try this hard-to-find gem at your local wine store. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find online, but I found a 2005 bottle for sale at the wine portal Vinquire.

Enjoy!

– LTV Mom

Published
by
Stacy Libby
on October 1, 2010
in Laptop Television and WINOS Pick of the Week
. 1 Comment