Loco for Coconut Cake!

Last weekend marked a family member’s birthday party, and for the occasion I offered to make a cake for the party. A cake I’ve never attempted before, the tres leches cake. Well, to be precise, a coconut tres leches cake.

Here you can see that the final result actually looks pretty tasty. But as Meri-Goes-Round adventures go, this one threatened to turn into a disaster… here’s what happened.

You might recall that I’m not the fanciest of bakers. I believe the last time I checked in about a baking adventure may have been the burnt angel food cupcakes of December 2010. I make approximately one cake a year, and this time I was determined that it be edible.

So, my solution? Don’t follow a recipe. Ha. You might be thinking, “but Meri… if you’re not confident in your baking skills, you might want to follow a recipe…” Nope, I just used a box mix and improvised with a variety of online recipes as my guide for this cake, which ended up being a “version” of coconut tres leches cake. So here’s how it went…

Bake yellow cake mix per box instructions. I added a dash of rum extract.
While cake is baking, assemble your milks... I used about 1/2 cup cream of coconut and about 1 cup of coconut milk. Then I added a dash of vanilla. But I didn't measure them, the measuring cup was just used as a scoop and I lost count...
try to invert baked cake onto cutting board to transfer to traveling dish. panic when it falls apart. realize it is a poke cake and that you need to mess it up anyway. panic when fire alarm goes off. return 20 minutes later and pour milk mixture over top of cake. refrigerate
after refrigerating a few hours or overnight, frost with cool whip (or if you're fancy you can whip up your own whipped cream from coconut milk. I'm not fancy)
decorate for your loved one!
add candles, and you're ready to party!

As concerned as I was about the taste of this “disaster cake” as I came to call it, I got nothing but rave reviews from the partygoers. And despite the rich ingredients in the cake, it tasted not too sweet and actually quite light with the cool whip frosting.

If I can remember how to make it again, I think I will! Optional garnishes would be coconut flakes or bananas on top, or you could add some pineapple or mandarin oranges to the cake portion.

Go Coco Loco!

Are you a confident baker? I could cook all day with passion but baking really gets me flustered! Have you ever made a tres leches or coconut tres leches cake? What is your favorite kind of cake?

Meri

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Mad for Madrid part 2

Here we are: another installment of “The Best of Madrid” by Meri. Also known as “Meri goes Mad for Madrid.” We started off with this post last week, and here are the following five!

  1. Parque del Oeste (Western Park). This park, much smaller than Retiro, sits at the edge of the city overlooking the Royal Palace. Quiet, relaxing, and charming, this was my “neighborhood park” in my youthful University neighborhood of Arguelles. The standout here is the Temple de Debod, a gift from the Egyptians. 
  2. Cafe con leche- No, Madrilenos don’t do this creamy caffeinated beverage particularly differently or better than other Spaniards. The reason I included it in my favorites of Madrid list is because I have such fond memories of popping by a bodega, standing at the counter sipping a cafe con leche in between class and happy hour, and heading out on my way. I might stop to try my Spanish with a stranger, I might crack open a novel for a few minutes, or I might enjoy a chocolate croissant. Before the sky darkens, I am heading on my way somewhere else in the city.
  3. Tortilla de Patatas- I could have chosen tapas in general, but to be honest for a vegetarian like me tapas were often down to either delicious olives or this potato and onion omelette type dish. I managed to get a Spanish friend to teach me his family recipe for making tortilla on a sunny afternoon at his house on the outskirts of Madrid. I seldom make it at home due to logistics (um, the flipping part), but I still fondly remember stopping by the tienda verde on the corner for a bocadillo of tortilla de patatas and melted cheese on baguette. Yum. source 
  4. Bebidas- Whether it be the delicious Spanish table wine, a sly Calimocho (red wine mixed with cola) at a botellon (i.e. teens drinking in public parks, plazas, etc), or an afternoon Sangria, it has never felt right enjoying some of these beverages back in the states. Some of the strangest things I drank were meters (yes, meters) of beer, a strange milky drink that was piped into fishbowls from the ceiling of a cave bar, and of course the Desperados (beer with tequila in it) we drank every time we had a burrito night. Even on simple nights playing beer pong and drinking liters of Mahou, Spanish beverages are something to celebrate!  source 
  5. Spanish Ladies- There is just something, something, about Spanish ladies. With their golden blonde or purply red coifs, their fur coats, fancy fun jewelry, and discerning glances, they are a force to be reckoned with. It took me about 4 1/2 months to stop being terrified by the stare of a Spanish lady for doing something as scandalous as- eating in public! or- not wearing tights or long sleeves when its 95 degrees! I think for a short time I became a lady, just for the wonderful Spanish ladies.

Do you regularly eat any Spanish food or drinks? What is your favorite way to enjoy your morning or afternoon coffee or tea?

Meri

Posted in Madrid, travel, Travelin' Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Mango Thai

As mentioned last Saturday in my “Satur-dates” blog, man-go-round and I decided to try out Mango Thai for a dinner date.

What I hadn’t anticipated when I wrote about our plans, though, was the monsoon we would have to surmount in order to get our delicious food.

In the midst of scattered downpours and hailstorms, we made it down to the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul to Mango Thai. A smallish restaurant near the intersection of Selby and Dale, the man dropped me off to park the car just down the street.

The dining room doors were open to the sidewalk, and I stepped just through the doors to ask the host for a table for two. As he prepared our table, I saw man-go-round dashing towards the doors as the sky opened up for round two (or more like round 7 or 8).

In for the duration, we settled into our “booth” (a wooden bench with four holes carved around the tables for up to four diners’ legs to fit) and enjoyed the suddenly vibrant atmosphere, as our fellow diners enjoyed the next bout of the rainstorm with us.

 

source

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Mango Thai (although I wish I had known it was BYOB so we could have enjoyed some lovely wine with dinner like some neighborhood locals in the know). Between the two of us we enjoyed egg rolls, pineapple shrimp green curry, and the garlic shrimp dish. Although my garlic shrimp was delicious, I thought man-go-round’s curry was off the chain. Next time, I’ll get that (or more likely, the papaya salad I didn’t order since it is what I almost always get).

Pictures are dark, but hey- I’d rather have great ambience in a restaurant than great photos for later, right? I never said I was a food blogger- just wanted to share the experience with y’all. Now if you live in the area, go check out Mango Thai! It’s not going to replace True Thai as our “regular” Thai joint, but it was a fantastic place for a romantic date in a springtime rainstorm.

Do you let thunderstorms (or other inclement weather) spoil your plans or just go with it? What is your favorite Thai dish?

Meri

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Accessor-eyes

For the past month or so I’ve been having obnoxious and persistent allergies and eye inflammation, and until last week had been rocking my sexy librarian glasses instead of my usual daytime contact lens look.

The upside of this is that it gave my sad little eyeballs a rest. The downside is that when I was dressing for work or parties in the last few weeks, I felt like any other accessories (earrings, necklaces, headbands) were overkill when paired with my glasses. So imagine my glee when I went back from four eyes to two eyes and went back to my jewelry box!

One of the first items I wanted to wear and pair with something fancy are these earrings that were sent to me to review by Anjolee Jewelry. I went to their website when they contacted me and was instantly excited to do a product review for them because their baubles fulfilled every Holly Golightly/ Cher Horowitz classy fantasy I’ve held since age 12 or so. They have a wide range of jewelry including engagement, bridal, and anniversary jewelry, but also have a large selection of stud earrings and bracelets that you can personalize with different stones and sizes and settings. After perusing the site and playing around with birthstones and the like, I chose the Circle Designer Diamond Stud Earrings.

Some of you marrying types (or old marrieds) might like the Bridal Set ring or Diamond Wedding ring. If you’re more of a “live in sin” type like myself, check out the stellar Diamond Stud Earrings collection!

left ear!
...aaaaand right ear!

These studs paired great with a white tee, blazer, and cropped skinny jeans for work but I think they will look just as great with my favorite new navy and white polka dot sundress. I may be the same person I’ve always been, but inside I’m channeling Grace Kelly.

Eat your heart out.

Do you ever have a hard time deciding how to accessorize? Am I right that glasses often feel like a standalone accessory? What about short hair and big earrings- too much? (I currently have quite a short bob and I’ve been shelving my danglies for now)…

Meri

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Saturdates

On the agenda for this beautiful sunny Saturday were a few things:

  • Garage sale
  • Library
  • Surdyk’s (the best liquor/ cheese/ gourmet shop in town, in my opinion)
  • Thai food date

At the garage sale I picked up this beauty for $2.37 (I haggled below the $4 original price with my pathetic change I was carrying)

cribbage!

Next up: our haul from the liquor store and the library item I’m most excited about:

can't wait to check this book out!
Bell's Two Hearted (not pictured) and New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner

Now I’m kicking back with some peanut M&Ms, some laundry, and some of the magazines I picked up at the library until we head out for our date tonight.

What are your plans for this lovely Saturday? Do you play cribbage? What is the best restaurant you’ve been to lately or the best garage sale score?

Meri

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Mad for Madrid (part 1)

A friend and coworker of mine just got back from a tour through Spain and France. As soon as I got over the hurdle of my raging jealousy, I started to reminisce about my semester studying in Madrid. Since it’s Travelin’ Thursday today, I thought I’d post about the city. Since it’s Meri-Goes-Round, you oughtta know by know that that means a LIST!

Meri is Mad for Madrid (a few of my can’t miss favorites of the city)

  1. Retiro Park(aka El Parque del Buen Retiro). This massive urban park sits at the edge of the cultural center of the city. It is over 350 acres and has gardens, a lake with rowboats, and this awesome crystal palace. Though a friend and I had a surreal and “memorable” experience with a flasher in this very park, I remember it fondly nonetheless for my many positive experiences studying, watching street performers, lazing in the sun, and going for walks.

    Crystal Palace in Retiro Park
  2. El Rastro. This is a flee market extraordinaire and cultural experience wrapped in one. Art, jewelry, clothing, antiques, and unique wares from hundreds of vendors converge in central Madrid each Sunday (and other assigned days on occasion). My all time favorite pair of earrings was purchased at the Rastro for a mere 2 Euro.
  3. El Corte Ingles. Department store. Grocery Store. Furniture. Clothing. Gourmet goods, meats, and liquors. Think Harrods but with tons of duplicates around the city (and country). I can’t put my finger on why I love this landmark so very much, but I miss it all of the time. Runners Up: Zara, Mango
  4. Nightlife. Nobody, nobody, nobody loves a good time more than the Spanish. Between discos and irish pubs, underground flamenco shows or “los heavy” music, clubs open all night and chocolaterias open even later… Madrid never sleeps. Never did I feel more like myself than in this city for night owls. Dining at 10:30, tapas after that, and heading out for the night at midnight… I don’t regret a single sleepless night spent in Madrid.
  5. Flamenco. The music… the passion… the rhythms and costumes. I love absolutely everything about this art; from the syncopations of the guitar to the flirtations and nuances of the dance itself.

    flamenco!

I can’t overwhelm you (and myself) with all of my favorites in one sitting, and so I’ll follow up with more on a Travelin’ Thursday in the near future! Stay tuned!

Have you ever been to Madrid? What was your favorite part? What are some of your beloved parts of your own city that you share with visitors?

Meri

Posted in Madrid, travel, Travelin' Thursday, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Public Transit Enemy

Our city is in the middle of a project to construct/expand our light rail system to extend the routes to go from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis. In the spirit of the planet’s well-being and the best interest of public transit, I signed up man-go-round and I to complete a “walkability” survey for the transit commission to be able to troubleshoot potential problems in the light rail corridor’s surrounding areas (i.e. unsafe intersections, sidewalks that aren’t kept up, sidewalks lacking ramps, unsafe or not well lit areas). We took off on a walk this evening in order to capture the “hazards” in the area. Here are the hazards we came across:

Public enemy number 1:

White Castle debris. Urrghbarf.

Public enemy number 2:

overgrown/ "weird" patchwork sidewalks

and the worst of them all… Public enemy number 3:

get OUT of my eyes cottonwood, get OUT OUT OUT!

In all seriousness and allergy complaints aside, I’m extremely psyched for the completion of the light rail. I’ve gone through periods of my life commuting by car, times commuting by underground train, short periods of bike commute, and over three years now of walking commutes. I am a firm believer in using public transit when possible. However, when the system isn’t well run, no one wants to use it, and therefore they don’t have the funding they need to make it great, which just continues the hideous cycle. Some of the best train systems I’ve seen are the London and Madrid underground systems. Chicago and San Francisco have decent under/above ground trains state side. Other parts of the world I’ve been less than impressed (have I shared my story of when I was in a bus accident in the south of Spain? or the time we tried to make Manhattan’s subway system actually be convenient instead of a pain in the ass? And don’t even get me started on Minneapolis’ bus system or Los Angeles’ crappy buses).

In my perfect world, every single urban area would be outfitted with bullet trains to all surrounding communities and there would be well greened walkways and skyway systems to make all urban areas immensely walkable. Until that day comes, I will continue to support public transit in any way I can.

How do you feel about using trains/ buses/ subways or commuting by foot or bicycle? Do you use the system in your city regularly? Do you tend to be more adventurous with public transit when you are traveling?

Meri

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Yogi Mer

Today at work I was chatting with my yogi-extraordinnaire co-worker, and (fresh from a weekend yoga conference) she was describing the concept of kosha. I don’t feel comfortable describing the idea with my limited knowledge on this blog, but I will link to a reputable source and provide a visual for the general gist of it.

source

So, the way I see it, the way for us to allow the best possible vibes into that inner circle is to try to have some influence over the outer circles (our physical self, our atmosphere, our sensory perceptions). So if we are to be intentional about our environment in the hopes of “letting in the sunshine” and keeping out the negative nancys, what do we need to do?

I figured I’d give some examples of how I try to control my environment to have little bits of bliss in every day life. I’m going to be less than creative and go with our western “five senses” here to give it some order.

Meri’s Merry Meditations:

Taste: I can really bliss out over the morning’s first cup of warm, spicy Good Earth Original Tea. I believe there are few things in life more delicious than  slightly melted M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces (in oatmeal or warm cookies). I don’t like a day to go by where I can’t enjoy some crunchy sweet peppers or cucumbers. I adore kicking back with a cold, crisp lager. Call me a five year old, but I could eat orange, lemon, or lime Jell-o for days. And I know its not very zen or healthy of me, but damn if I don’t indulge my Diet Coke habit almost daily.

Smell: Ahhh, the smell of lilacs in the springtime.. divine…Fresh bread in the oven at a bakery or in my very own home (that would be credit to man-go-round, I can’t bake), The smell of fresh basil plucked off the branch. (M&M) cookies baking in the oven, Aveda hair products, and chlorine (awful, I know, but I just love it and it reminds me of summer at the pool).

Sound: My momma’s voice, salsa music, when everything outside is quiet and then all of a sudden you hear a single bird calling, Colin Firth’s (or other posh British type) voice, a favorite song when it comes on the radio all of a sudden.

Sight: Watching dance choreography, pretty much every single sunrise or sunset, photos of favorite summers, vacations, nights out with friends, or people I love. 

 Touch: Ask any single person I know well, and they will tell you I can never get enough hugs. I also adore the feeling of being freshly showered and in clean PJs so very very much that I sing a little song every night after I emerge from the bathroom clean and clear and (sort of) under control. I adore knit/ jersey sheets, having my head or back lightly scratched, feet and calf rubs, and although I can barely remember it these days, unfortunately, the momentum of a vigorous kickboxing or aerobic dance session. I feel compelled to add here that although I’m also not practicing any yoga these days (I know I can do it post-surgery last fall but I’m a pansy and haven’t been able to do it without panicking yet), I do hold a special spot in my heart for a perfect and rhythmic sun salutation or simple vinyasa to get me focused and get my blood flowing.

What do you do to control your environment or bring your favorite things into each day? Do you think these things make a difference for our overall peace and happiness? Are any of my favorite things your favorite things too?

Sincerely, Yogi-Mer

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not much to say except…

To all of the new moms, veteran moms, soon-to-be moms, and every other type of mom out there…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Meri

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