Chocolate Refrigerator Cake – Yummm

Our family is well into the plans for the second wedding in 3 months.  Shaun and Deb’s wedding in early September.  I am making 3 more flowergirl dresses and am doing some minor alterations to Deb’s dress as well as hemming one of the bridesmaid dresses.  Tonight was fitting night.

Shaun and Deb and their friends Julie and Dave came for a light dinner.  The guys were then shuttled off to the deck while Deb and Julie tried on their dresses.  Unfortunately I can’t photograph Deb’s dress because Shaun reads this blog, so I’ll need to write about something other than wedding dresses.

Since we are always looking for great summer recipes, I have two of them which were a great hit.

Wasabi Cole Slaw

1 head of shredded cabbage – always better if you shred just before adding the dressing

1/2 c. Wasabi mayo (I use Trader Joe’s but another option is to use mayo and add Wasabi paste or powder)

1/2 c. Miracle Whip type salad dressing

2 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp rice or red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar (maybe a little more if you like it sweeter

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

dill weed – optional

Mix dressing ingredients and add to shredded cabbage.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.

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For dessert I tried a new recipe for me but one that’s been around since the 1930′s.  Thanks to my new favorite recipe site, the Smitten Kitchen, I found this incredibly easy to make dessert which is over the top with taste and calories.

Easy Chocolate Refrigerator Cake

Since the Smitten Kitchen has done such a great job of describing how to make this two ingredient cake, I won’t repeat it here. Who in the world can’t layer whipping cream and chocolate wafers?  And the result looked just like the one on the website.

I will say that the most difficult part of making the cake was finding Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies.  I couldn’t find them, so yes, I used another Smitten Kitchen recipe to make my own.  The alternative was to order from Amazon which would take days and the minimum order is 12 boxes.  Easy or not, that would be a lot of cakes.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a dessert that will “wow” your guests, give this one a try.

Spring Break in Sunny Greece

10 days in Heavenly Greece

Last fall when Kevin found a great airfare to Greece, I said there would never be time for a spring vacation, as we have two weddings this year.  Megan and Chris are getting married in June – a topic which you’ve probably tired of, and our son Shaun and Deb are getting married in September.

The airfare was too good to resist and we just returned but without a single sewing story.  On most trips I find a wedding or beautiful fabric or textiles to photograph, but this time there were no weddings and no fabric stores.  There was lots of sun, icy blue water and tile roofed villages.  Most of all it was relaxing.

For me, one of the delights of traveling is walking through the local markets smelling fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.  The markets are bustling with people and there’s always something of interest.  I spared you the photo of lamb intestines and other internal organs.  Being there over the Eastern Orthodox Easter was especially fun because of the preponderance of fresh lamb in the markets and to see the holiday customs.

Fresh Lamb, Sausages and Tsoureki

Vacation is over and it’s time to sew.