Ganache to you...

 

 

It all started with an email from daughter, Jen, with a question about desserts....

 

 

Hello everyone, I need some advice...if you had to pick a cake or special dessert for someone's special day/bday what would you choose? What are each of your favorites-be specific I am not creative with.....

Her sister responded with...

I love yellow cake with chocolate ganache. Anything with chocolate ganache is great! For a birthday, I think cake is nice. It is special and customary. But maybe you guys think otherwise.....
I think some of the sheet cakes with writing are a little cheesey.... Isaac, what sort of things have you seen for people at work? What do people do in Houston, Kara?
Interesting....thanks for asking Jen. I don't really have good answers for you, but I'm interested in reading what Kara and Isaac share and finding out what you end up doing?

       Rach

 

Sister Kara's response was...

I'm getting a donut hole tower for my co-worker's bday this week. Mom tried the donut holes from this place. It's fancy...lol. The tower will have blueberry and devils food cake donut holes. They also have giant birthday donuts for sharing. May be hard for you to find...but different.

I also like chocolate dipped fruit. Edible arrangements?

People here seem to like cookie cakes. And fancy cakes (like a dark chocolate cake with strawberry filling or Italian cream etc). Another idea but lots of work...birthday style cake pops.

Brother Isaac responded with...

 

 

 

 

Special K bars or monkey bread.... I also like cream cheese frosting cakes. Just my opinion ;)
Sent from my iPhone

Mom/Gma had to give her two cents worth....

I can't believe all the attention this dessert question is getting...
Do we all like sweets that much?
Honestly, just go with the Black Bean Brownies I have come to love... you can eat them without feeling guilty.
What is "ganache".... (I grew up on a farm.)

Love U each.

Kara educates me with...

 

Ganache Pronunciation: guh-NAWSH

is normally made by heating cream, then pouring it over chopped chocolate of any kind. The mixture is stirred or blended until smooth, with liquers or extracts added if desired.

Depending on the kind of chocolate used, for what purpose the ganache is intended, and the temperature at which it will be served, the ratio of chocolate to cream is varied to obtain the desired consistency.

 

 

Seriously, I had to laugh. I was discovering things about my children I didn't know... some of the "learning" happened as I read between the lines.

I used to never fill myself up at a meal--because I loved dessert so much I had to leave room for it.

Pies, cakes with lots of frosting, jelly-filled donuts, anything chocolate, cookie dough....

Hmmm... you could say I had a problem.

Now, I mainly stick to chocolate, the dark chocolate variety and smaller portions.

 

When in Branson, Mo., recently and eating at Apple-Bees, they offered a $1 dessert brownie. It was one of the best--chewy, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth, and just the right size. I complimented the server although she had nothing to do with it but confessed she had several a day whenever she craved chocolate. Those of you who follow my blogs know I have a scripture  connection for each one and hopefully offer opportunities for spiritual reflection.... so here goes...   He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. Psalm 2: 4     In Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose a villainous monk named Jorge poisoned anyone who came upon the one book in the monastery library that suggested that God laughed. Jorge feared that if the monks thought God laughed,He would become too familiar to them, too common, and they would lose their awe of Him.Jorge probably never considered the idea that laughter is one of the things that sets us apart as made in God's image.         COFFEE BREAK WITH GOD, PG 44       Reading my children's emails today made me laugh, the whole idea of sweets and desserts made me smile. I am thankful to a God who gives us so much-- yes, more than we deserve. I am thankful to a God who allows us to find joy  in small things.     Comedian George Burns made us laugh. Jonas Salk came up with the vaccine for polio. What do they have in common? Each, with their different gifts, made us happy, caused us to find a joy.   So bring on your cake-balls, your Ganache, your Special-K Bars or simply ask someone what their favorite dessert is and I bet you'll get a smile....     And, then praise God.