Name that cake!

I'm sure that somewhere on the internet there is an "official" name for this cake.  But I think we need to come up with our own version.  Will you help me name this 2 ingredient "cake"?  There is no baking involved and is one of the easiest cakes to make.  It's light and delicate and will wow people when you tell them it's just cookies covered in whipped cream

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Ingredients:

• Whipping Cream
• Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Steps:

• Whip cream until stiff peaks form.
• Ice each cookie with cream, and form small stacks, 5-6 cookies high

• Arrange stacks of cookies/cream on a plate to form the shape of your cake
• Cover the whole thing with whipped cream
• Decorate with any left over cookie crumbs 

• Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

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Tres Leche Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup masa harina
• 1/4 cup fine cornmeal
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 1 cup half and half cream
• 1/2 pt whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Steps:

1. Setup a double boiler by filling a pot large enough to hold your mixer bowl and bring the water to a simmer. Move your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. 
2. Grease and flour a 9″ cake pan to prevent the finished cake from sticking.
3. Put the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a metal mixer bowl and whisk to combine. Put the bowl in your double boiler and whisk, heating until the mixture reaches 100 degrees F (luke warm).
4. Mount the bowl on the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for at least 5 minutes. It may look ready before then, but it really needs to go this long to get enough air integrated. The volume will triple and pale yellow ribbons of egg will flow off the whisk
5. Sift the masa harina and cornmeal into a bowl though a fine double mesh strainer. 
6. When the egg mixture is ready, add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the eggs and fold together. Repeat twice more, folding between each addition until you can’t see any more clumps of flour.  Be gentle while folding though as it will not rise properly if the egg mixture deflates. 
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). 
8. Put the cake pan on a rack and allow to cool.
9. To make the tres leches syrup, just whisk the three ingredients together in a bowl. You only need half the mixture, so you can either double the batter and make 2 cakes, or you can store the extra syrup in a sealed container for the next cake you make.
10. Use a toothpick to poke holes all over the cake, this will help the cake absorb the tres leches syrup. 
11. When the cake cools to room temperature, pour half the syrup mixture over the cake, making sure to evenly saturate the edges. 
12. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
13. For the whipped cream, put the cream, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 
14. Beat until you see peaks form in the cream. 
15. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake. 
16. Slice and serve with fruit.

Recipe source:  http://norecipes.com/blog/pastel-de-tres-leches/

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Dinner for Friends

While away on vacation, I had some friends over to my Mom's house for dinner. They always have me over to their house for a wonderful feasts, so I wanted to return the favour:

Menu 

Grilled Bocconcini

Mango Shrimp and Quinoa salad

Grilled/Broiled Okra

Eton Mess

Recipes

Starter - Grilled Bocconcini

• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped capers
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 chopped anchovy filets
• ¼ Baguette
• 1 container Bocconcini (8)

Combine olive oil, parsley, capers, Dijon, lemon juice and anchovies.
Slice baguette into 20 thin slices and Bocconcini into 16 halves.
Lightly toast baguette and top each piece with a Bocconcini half.
Run under broiler until cheese begins to melt – 4 to 5 minutes depending on broiler or heat on grill
Drizzle with anchovy sauce.

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Main - Quinoa and shrimp salad

• 1/2 cup Mango Chipotle dressing divided
• 2lbs shrimp peeled and deveined
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups quinoa rinsed
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 orange pepper, finely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onion, finely sliced
• ½ cup chopped fresh coriander

Bring broth to boil, add in rinsed quinoa.
Return to boil; cover.
Simmer med-low 10-15 minutes until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Fluff and cool.

Marinate shrimp in ¼ cup Mango dressing.

Chop vegetables and mix remaining dressing with lime juice.
Add vegetables and dressing to cooled quinoa and toss, gently.
Flash fry shrimp and arrange, prettily, around salad.

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Side - Grilled/broiled Okra

• 2 or more lbs Okra
• Olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt
• Lime juice

Skewer Okra on two parallel skewers.
Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until tender.
Remove skewers.
Sprinkle with Lime juice and serve.

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Dessert – Eton Mess

• Whipping cream
• A little sugar/booze/Splenda
• Meringues
• Fresh chopped fruit (Strawberries are traditional but anything that strikes your fancy)

Whip cream to soft peaks.
Crumble meringues.
Stir all together with fruit and serve at once

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Dinner was a great hit with everyone!!