Back to Home About Mango & Tomato Contact MePublicity & News Hire Me!Portfolio

4/7/12

Birthday Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Other Cooking Adventures in Charleston

Usually when I travel, it's all about eating out. When I went to Charleston last weekend, however, I stayed in my friend Melissa's gorgeous beach house and we got to cook a few meals. It was lovely because the kitchen was huge and beautiful.

Before we made any meals, Melissa baked me a birthday chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! Look at this beauty:



Afterwards, we made dinner: garlicky shrimp in a wine sauce based on Bobby Flay's {swoon!} recipe with Carolina rice and roasted vegetables (tomatoes and asparagus). Of course, there was also wine and then a slice of chocolate cake for dessert!


Here are just a few photos of the pretty dining room: quite a change of pace since I usually eat my dinner on a couch with my plate on my lap. Melissa even made me turn the TV off during dinner. The nerve ;)


Another dinner we made was a big salad with chickpeas, red peppers, tomatoes and olives with a simple splash of olive oil and vinegar. To go with the salad we roasted potatoes and red onions and warmed up a French baguette in the oven. Simple, satisfying and pretty healthy, which is a good thing because there was still some chocolate cake to enjoy :)





Do you cook when you are vacationing?

5 comments:

Belinda said...

Happy birthday!!! What a meal - it goes on and on and on...the way good meals should!

Esi said...

I rarely cook on vacation except when I was in Greece we stayed in a few nights and used the amazing local produce to cook up a delicious feast!

Megan said...

That house is beautiful, and that cake... got any left? All that chocolate... amazing!

Ben said...

Great dining experience! I would love a piece of that cake :)

Nicole said...

Happy Birthday Olga! The Chocolate Cake looks simple, yet delicious. I think not putting the icing on the outside is a good idea. It may not look as pretty, but it keeps the cake from getting too sweet.