When life gives you a broken cake...

you make a trifle

Coconut Trifle

1 white cake recipe (or 1 white cake mix)

1 tsp coconut extract

1 can cream of coconut (different, as in much more sugar, than coconut milk)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

whipped cream (I made my own and used about half of a pint)

strawberries

coconut

Make white cake recipe adding 1 tsp coconut extract. Bake as directed. After baking, let cool then cut into 1" squares and put half in the bottom of the trifle dish. (In my case I baked in 2 round pans as I was going to make a layered cake. After baking, I must not have let them cool enough and it flopped, literally. That is why I made a trifle and not a two layer cake).

Make whipped cream. This time I actually cooled the mixing bowl before and I do believe it made a great difference. Mix together sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut. Add this mixture (I didn't actually add all of it) to the whipped cream. Pour half over the first layer of cake and top with a layer of coconut. Add another layer of cake and then the other half of whipped cream. I topped with toasted coconut and topped each individual serving with strawberries.

Chard?

My friend had posted this meal on her blog a while back and my husband recently remembered and requested it for dinner. Her husband actually made it for dinner and due to a deal (scrubbing the dirty clothes from an accident by our little girl), my husband made this meal.

It was delicious, but seriously how could it not be with a package of bacon, which really I think is why he requested it. Although, he is a big fan of chard as well. We used turkey bacon and I can only imagine how even better it would be with real bacon (should be, with almost triple the calories!). I think the next time we want this dish, it can be a tradition that my husband makes it!

Bacon and Swiss Chard Pasta
1 pound linguine
12 oz bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 very large red onion, halved, sliced (about 6 cups)
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stemmed, chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
3 T extra-virgin Olive Oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 2 T bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and saute over medium high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add Swiss chard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add pasta cooking liquid to skillet. Toss until chard is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar over; cook 1 minutes. Add linguine and oil to sauce in pot and toss to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. From Bon Appetit, May 2008.