Tag Archives: The Borough

October 4, 2014 · 3:00 PM

Fall bloomers

Nights have cooled to the low 60s f and the Fall bloomers are making a showy garden!

Burning Bush:

IMG_0102.JPG

Burning Bush

Holly leaved Osmanthus:

IMG_0104.JPG

Holly Leaved Osmanthus

Gus:

IMG_0112.JPG

 

Texting Bear – a funny art piece at ArtSpace for the First Friday ArtWalk.;

IMG_0115.JPG

Texting Bear

And the International Bluegrass Festival

IMG_0118-0.JPG

International Bluegrass Festival

The arbors are almost clear as the tomatoes and cucumber die.

IMG_0110.JPG

And The Borough

https://arthurinthegardendotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_0120.jpg

and Wake County Justice Center

IMG_0121.JPG

Bazinga!

4 Comments

Filed under General Gardening

Tagged as , ,

January 25, 2014 · 1:00 PM

The Deep freeze and chocolate cake…

The temperatures have been freezing! Too cold to work in the yard and to do the usual hardscape maintainance I like to do during the Winter! The days have been in the low 30s or even upper 20s with the night temps in the low twenties and a few times down to about 10f! Just crazy.

So my thoughts turn to cooking. I set my internet radio to Amsterdam Dance Radio or put a Depeche Mode CD in!

I have been looking at the label recipes of the Hershey’s Cocoa package and decided to make the chocolate cake recipe and the frosting recipe, too!

HERSHEY’S “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions

  1.  
    Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
  2.  
    Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
  3.  
    Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

20140125-121245.jpg

The two layers cooling in the pans. The middle cooked slower then the side so next time I will cook them on the lower shelf and not on the top shelf.

20140125-121341.jpg

And

“PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Soften butter at room temperature. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
  • Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

20140125-121726.jpg

Hmm, chocolate buttercream frosting!

20140125-121552.jpg

And the final product! Hmm, I don’t think I would be a good sculptor or mason as I am very messy!

20140125-121820.jpg

But it all taste the same in the end!!

20140125-121854.jpg

Of course, later in the day we headed to downtown Raleigh (http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/) and The Borough restaurant (http://theboroughraleigh.com/) for my favorite drink: “How do you Q?” Pretty, isn’t it?

20140125-122029.jpg

xxx

13 Comments

Filed under cooking, Food, General Gardening

Tagged as , , , , , ,