Boston Cream Pie

Today's state was "New England", which I know is not really a state. However, I chose Boston Cream Pie and Clam Chowder from Mass., then the Sticky Maple glazed chicken drumsticks from Vermont, so it's a mix. As you can see the cake was a big success and the cake recipe is an all-in-one version, which is really easy for kids to make. Just make sure that the butter is soft so it mixes easily.

The kids couldn't believe how easy the drumsticks were to prepare. The glaze has an Asian flair because of the rice wine vinegar , garlic and fresh ginger. They were really finger licken good...

Next time you have a craving for Clam chowder and I mean REAL chowda, instead of paying mucho dollars at Legal Seafood, please try my recipe. The kid's ate every drop of the that soup for their lunch and declared it was the best they'd ever eaten. You can add real clams if you must, but the canned variety passed the test.

My camera was not working too well today, so I didn't take many photos. Tomorrow, I'll borrow my husband's fancy SLR, so hopefully I'll be posting lots of pics of the rest of the week. Here's a picture of tonight's dinner, using the other camera - Ratatouille. I learned to make this dish when I was working as a private chef in Provence during the 80's. We actually used herbs d'provence which gave it a unique flavor. July and august is always the best time to make it, when the veggies are at their best and most abundant, fresh tomatoes should only be used if they are really ripe and sweet. Hope you like the photo!