Use Your Bean

More fun than Super Bowl XLII?:

• sleeping
• making mole (That's mo-lay. Like ¡Olé! Except with the accent on the penultimate syllable. Uh, never mind.)
• eating dinner with my favorite people
• decorating a cake

• eating a cake
• watching Notorious

Also this weekend, more fun than homework?:

• Salsa Night
• making The Once and Future Beans
• eating said beans
• making two Devil's Food Cakes
• making coffee buttercream
• frosting a birthday cake
• going to a birthday party and watching a magic show

Lest you think that cooking is not as exciting as the Super Bowl or homework, let me remind you that cooking at my house usually involves high drama. While making the beans, for example, I literally had to break the lid off the molasses jar. What's stickier than molasses, really? I couldn't twist the lid off, and there was no one home to help me. I tried running the bottle under warm water, using towels to grip with, and then hitting the lid with a knife trying to loosen it. I ended up hitting the lid many times with progressive force, and probably with more anger than purpose, but you can't argue with results. There's probably a reason for mise en place. I already had a pan of simmering bean matter when I realized I couldn't open the jar of molasses. A run to the store wasn't a tempting option. I also acquired a new scar by hitting my hand against the hot oven ceiling while stirring the beans. Chopping two pounds of bacon with a relatively dull knife was a challenge, too. High drama, indeed.

I made two Devil's Food Cakes because I thought the first one, destined for the birthday party, looked a little short and felt sticky. To be safe, I made the same recipe again, but took more care creaming the butter and sugar. More drama: my oven was occupied with two pots of beans, so I had to find a spare oven on short notice. The birthday cake, second edition, got frosted with a coffee buttercream. It was easy enough to whip up, no drama there, and I topped the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans. I usually enjoy coffee-flavored desserts, but this was too strong for me. I much preferred the vanilla buttercream I used to frost the reject cake the next day.