This post was supposed to redeem my baking skills, but alas, it was not to be. I was going to write about how I made this retro cake (Watergate Cake) in my vintage Harvest Gold Bundt pan, and carried it to my grad school friend's party in my 1940s tin cake carrier, blah blah blah.
On the spectrum that has Erma Bombeck on one end and Martha Stewart on the other, I've always considered myself to be more on the Martha Stewart end of things. Well, I'm feeling decidedly Erma Bombeck after last night's fiasco.
One of my grad school friends, B, hosted a yard party at her house last night, and for days I've been talking about how I was going to bring a Watergate Cake (a pistachio cake along the lines of last summer's Watergate Salad). So yesterday afternoon I made the cake and icing and had it in my tin cake carrier. I was super excited to bring it to the party. So when my husband and I pulled up in the driveway, I got out with the cake carrier and almost immediately when I got out of the car--the cake carrier's handle came off and the whole thing went tumbling to the ground. Luckily it fell upside down, so the cake was still edible, although it looked like the mess in the picture with this post.
Well, a glass of wine or five later, no one cared that the cake looked like crap. It still tasted good, at least! There was lots of other excellent food at the party too. We had a really lovely evening lying on the lawn with blankets and pillows. I hope the rest of the summer is as nice as last night and Friday night (picnic at Mountain Lake, where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed).
Just don't call me Erma.
WATERGATE CAKE
(courtesy of Ann on the cooking email list I'm on)
1 pkg. cake mix, yellow or white
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding
1 c. oil
3 whole eggs
1 c. Canada Dry Club soda
1 c. pistachios (chopped very fine)
Mix cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, club soda and nuts together. Blend well and beat 4 minutes. Grease and flour Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Turn out on plate and when cool, frost with icing.
WATERGATE ICING:
1 box instant pistachio pudding
1 1/4 c. cold milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
Blend all together and beat until light and fluffy. Spread on cake. Store in refrigerator.
5 comments:
Yay food blog! I need to take some time to read this.
Also:
Tag! You're it!
http://bluelightfulblueliciousbluelovely.blogspot.com/2008/06/six-things-meme-version-20.html
it was delish!
Hi D!
I've just got around to reading your blog - start to finish - and I have to say I found the two "Watergate" recipes really interesting. I tried to look up the connection between Watergate and the humble (or not so - I love 'em!) pistachio ... can't seem to see any. Recipes look tasty though!
I suppose you've stopped blogging ... ? Hope all is well with you though and maybe we'll catch you as a commenter hereabouts ;-)
Some people say the salad was originally served at the Watergate Hotel, but I'm not sure if that's really true. It's a nice name though, isn't it!
A combination of laziness, Facebook taking up more of my digital life, a thin skin when it comes to negative commenters, and life events just made me kind of drop my blog for a while. A lot has happened--my dad died and I had a baby--and I just can't seem to turn back to the blog. I might try again soon.
Great name - it's the colour of the salad that gets me, too. We don't have pistachio pudding where I am so I'd have to find some other way of recreating that wonderfully kitsch concoction!
I'm so sorry to hear that your father died. My condolences to you and your family. Real life needs to come before online life and I'm sure you have your hands full coping with his death and with a new baby, too.
I don't have a blog myself and as there are so many great intercultural blogs out there I often find them rather late in the day and miss the "live" action ;-) Not to mention connecting with the bloggers themselves!
If you decide to return for more on life/recipes, I'll hopefully catch you then.
Take care of yourself!
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