Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

I tried to think of a different title for this post, but really, what's more enticing than that? With the last weekend of summer approaching, I thought I'd share this great summer recipe.

First of all, you should know that I am a HUGE fan of Southern Living magazine, and Cooking Light is a close second. Pretty much every dish I make for special occasions and not-so-special occasions comes from one of these two magazines. Need proof?

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie (July 2011)

Lucious Spice Cake with Citrus Filling (December 2010)

Some kind of coconut cake (c. January 2011) 

I am a true Southern lady even though I was technically born in the Midwest, never wear big hats, and can't pull off saying "ain't" even if I'm trying to be funny or dramatic. I appreciate all things Southern, so seeing this magazine appear in the mailbox alway puts a big smile on my face.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago and got rave reviews from my family. I'm kind of bummed I didn't take a picture of it. Don't be deterred by the fact that this is actually three recipes in one, it really came together quickly (aside from 8 hours of freezer time, which I condensed into about 4--not recommended). The cake recipe is so good I'll be using it for other chocolate cakes in the future. Oh, and never fear, ganache is fancy for microwaved chocolate and cream that come together to make a delicious chocolate topping that hardens in just a minute. Without further ado...

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
(from Southern Living, August 2011)

(Photo copyright Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients

• Parchment paper
• Devil's Food Cake Batter
• 1/2 gal. mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
• 10 chocolate wafers, coarsely crushed
• Chocolate Ganache
• Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, thin crème de menthe chocolate mints

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Prepare Devil's Food Cake Batter, and spoon into pans.
2. Bake at 350º for 12 to 14 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, peel off parchment paper, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
3. Place 1 cake layer in a 9-inch springform pan. Top with one-third of ice cream (about 2 1/3 cups); sprinkle with half of crushed wafers. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cake layer and ice cream. Freeze 8 to 12 hours.
4. Remove cake from springform pan, and place on a cake stand or plate. Prepare Chocolate Ganache, and spread over top of ice-cream cake. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

If you haven't learned this already, the first rule of cooking (according to me) is always read the entire recipe first. When you don't, you get started on a delicious meal for your friends that are coming over in two hours, then get to a step that says "Refrigerate 4 hours." Doh! I didn't exactly do that with this recipe, but I didn't allow myself enough time to let it freeze (I did 4-5 hours, it called for 8-12) and it wasn't as hard as it was supposed to be. Even with that little setback, it was delicious!

I'll leave you with this thought...which is a better flavor combination? Chocolate and mint OR chocolate and peanut butter? It's a toss up for me. Leave me your thoughts in the comments.

Just Wait 'Til...

With school starting yesterday for many people, I know a lot of parents out there feeling a little bit wistful about their babies growing up. Whether it's the first day of kindergarten, the first day of high school or anywhere inbetween, it's an important new beginning every year. And with that new beginning comes the need to commiserate. We all need to do it on occasion. Whether it's something we're dealing with at work, a tough time with our kids or significant other, sore muscles from a new workout routine or whatever is challenging us at the time. Everyone has a need to just sit down and vent and whine to a friend willing to lend a sympathetic ear. But I'm curious, does anyone else get as incredibly annoyed as I do when that friend begins his/her response with the phrase "Just wait 'til..." That phrase is almost never followed with something positive like, "Just wait 'til your daughter is potty trained and then you'll save tons of money on diapers and pull ups." No, it's usually something like, "You think potty training is frustrating? Just wait 'til she is potty trained and then you have to make a mad dash to the bathroom everywhere you go." Or, "Your kid is cute now, but just wait 'til she turns 11 and is embarrassed of everything you do."

Yes, most of my examples are from parents commiserating about parenting things because I think we are the absolute worst offenders of this. There are continuous ups and downs during the parenting experience, but why do we feel the need to tell other parents of how it gets worse? What's with the one-upping? Why can't we just let someone express their frustration and just nod along or offer helpful suggestions and words of encouragement? This makes me think of the It Gets Better Movement, which began following a startling number of suicides amongst GLBT teens. Most of us are probably familiar with it, but if you're not, it's a collection of user-submitted videos featuring celebrities and everyday people sharing words of encouragement about how life gets better after the bullying and general anxiety about fitting in during high school. Why can't everyone do this for each other?

We're all guilty of it. I'm sure I've done it, but soon after I had my daughter I discovered how often we use this phrase. Let's all try to be a little more mindful of how discouraging these words are. Next time a friend is commiserating about a challenge he or she is facing, resist the urge to say anything that begins with the phrase "Just wait 'til..." Instead, remember the golden rule and find something encouraging to say.

Is this thing on?

I have wanted to start a blog for a very long time and have let too many minute things stop me. I've thought, "I can't create a blog now, I don't have a good name for it." Or, "I can't start posting yet, I need a better design." True, the design as of this date (8/18/2011) does kind of look like I'm hawking Massengil or something, but those are all totally lame excuses. Acceptable real excuses might include:

1) I have a 2-ton boulder sitting on my legs and I cannot reach my computer.
2) I am too busy filming my reality show about my collection of Barbie shoes.
3) I am currently living in Siberia and don't have a reliable internet connection.
4) I have nothing to say.

None of these things is true for me; therefore, here I am, sharing my first, albiet somewhat pointless, post. I actually have a whole list of ideas piling up of things I want to talk about. I love cooking, especially baking, so I'll definitely share a few posts on recipes I've tried. I'm a writer and marketer by profession (although since I'm not currently working I may have to give up my pro status for the time being), so expect an occasional rant on advertising I love or hate and the current sad state of our grammatical affairs. And I'm a mom and trophy wife, so I'm sure I'll have some funny little anecdotes about daily life.

So, where did "The Trophy Wife Life" come from? Well, I left my job a few months ago and decided to take some time off instead of rushing off to find more work. I've not had more than three weeks off of work since I graduated college (not counting maternity leave...glorious maternity leave). Between not working and having my daughter in school part time, it took some time to adjust to the extra free time. I was filling out some forms out one day and needed something to enter in the occupation box and well, I just wrote in "trophy wife." Sure, something like "stay at home mom" would have been fine, but I wanted something a little more fun than that. By the way, why is it that stay at home moms feel so defensive about it? When asked "what do you do?" some women seem to respond as if someone asking what they do with their time is a totally unacceptable question or as if raising children isn't a totally important job. I think about half of working moms would tell you they'd love to stay at home if the budget allowed. We should consider ourselves lucky!!

Okay, enough for now. This was a totally crappy post, but I needed to start somewhere and quit with the excuses. Expect more (and better!!) posts from me in the future and don't forget to click Follow so you can keep up with "The Trophy Wife Life!"