Please, please make this cake immediately!  Carrots are on sale, people!  They’re an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamin A, for pitty’s sake! A big hunk of cake pairs swimmingly with a glass of calcium-rich milk!  And seriously, do you really need a reason?!!

Help, my exclamation mark key seems to be stuck!!

Share this goodness with your family, friends, neighbors, and countrymen.  Heck, save it for the Easter Bunny if you’re so inclined.  Or, do what I did.  Set this cake on a pretty cake stand, then take it with you to the farthest reaches of your house.  A closet is good.  Make sure you also have with you a big fork and large glass of cold milk.  Shut the door.  Dig in.  Be at peace.

Or, don’t be like me.  Have you seen my thighs lately?

Nom, nom, nom……

OLD FASHIONED CARROT CAKE

Serves:  12

Source:  allrecipes.com

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. flour
• ½ t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1t. baking powder
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 2 c. grated carrot (for me this was one giant one; they’re on sale)

• ½ c. butter, softened
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 2 t. vanilla

• 1 c. toasted pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until well blended.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Add to the sugar mixture and combine well.  Add in the carrots and stir until just blended.

Choose your pan(s) and spray well with non-stick cooking spray.  I used two 8” rounds; you could use a bundt pan, cupcake tin, or 9×13” pan.  Pour in the cake batter; bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with loose crumbs attached, anywhere from 25-50 minutes, depending on the pan you’ve chosen.

Remove cake to a rack and cool completely.  Make the frosting by creaming together the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat to blend.  Add the pecans if desired.  Alternately, you could top the cake with the chopped pecans as a garnish.

Yesterday afternoon, my youngest cruised through the kitchen and snapped up a sticky, oblong mango pit off the cutting board.  She wrapped it in a paper towel and gnawed on it for half an hour while zoning out in front of Wizards of Waverly Place.  I was THISCLOSE to shrieking, “HEY!!  NO FOOD IN THE FAMILY ROOM!”, but since it was a healthy snack, I let the little twerp slide.

For the record: had it been Oreos, Pringles, or Swiss Miss chocolate pudding – well, that would have been a different scene altogether.  I’ve said it here before:  ISSUES.  My head would have spun around.  My body would’ve levitated while vile obscenities and green vomit were spewed, ala “The Exorcist”.  It’s true.  I tend to get in quite a lather over food messes in the family room.  I’m working on it.

Horror films and questionable parenting skills aside, I am going to beg you right here and now to make this pork chop recipe!  You simply must try it!  The marinade is so unbelievably simple, and the relish is knock-your-sox-off delicious.  I don’t even normally like sweet stuff in a main course, but this dish is exceptional.  In fact, it’s so good I’m going to make it again on Friday night when my mother-in-law comes in to town.  She’ll totally dig it!

Happy Thursday everyone — grab some sale mangos while they last!

GRILLED TERIYAKI PORK CHOPS WITH PINEAPPLE MANGO RELISH

Serves:  6

Source:   adapted from epicurious.com

• 2/3 c. soy sauce
• 1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c. water
• ¼ c. rice wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 6 boneless pork chops (Sendik’s Premium Boneless Chops are on sale)

• Pineapple Mango Relish, recipe follows

In a small saucepan combine marinade ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Cool marinade completely.

Put chops in a large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over them.  Seal bag, pressing out excess air, and set in a shallow dish.  Marinate meat, chilled, turning bag once or twice, overnight (I only had four hours; it worked fine!).

Pour marinade into a saucepan and boil 5 minutes.  Grill chops on an oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals 6-7 minutes per side, or until meat is cooked through, basting with marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Alternatively, chops may be grilled in a ridged grill pan or broiled.

Serve pork chops with relish.

PINEAPPLE MANGO RELISH

Makes 3 cups

Source:  adapted from epicurious.com

• 2 c. finely diced fresh pineapple
• 1 c. finely diced fresh mango (on sale, HURRY!!)
• ½ c. finely diced red bell pepper
• ½ c. finely diced sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (throw the whole thing in if you’re not a sissy, LOL)
• 2 T. minced fresh mint or cilantro (I, of course, used cilantro!)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients with salt to taste and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  Relish can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.  Serve relish at room temperature.

“Go chase yourself.”

“Go play in traffic.”

“Take a long walk off a short pier.”

“You wanna know what’s for dinner?  Two choices:  take it or leave it.”

“Eat your (fill in the blank).  It’ll put hair on your chest.”

“If you stick that bottom lip out any farther, a bird’s gonna come along and poop on it.” (actually, that’s something my mother would always say)

“I may not always be right, but I am never wrong.”

My dad had his own favorite phrases; the first one that comes to mind is “Things without remedy should be without regard” – meaning, don’t fret about stuff that’s out of your control.  My mom never liked to hear that one.  Whenever Dad pulled it out she would roll her eyes and huff around.  What’s funny is that I was always under the impression that my dad had concocted the saying; it wasn’t until a college level Shakespeare course that I discovered it was actually Lady MacBeth who first uttered the phrase.  That didn’t change my mom’s opinion.

My wonderful father-in-law also had some good ones in his day; most of them clean, but some (the funniest ones, naturally) he obtained during his Army years and can’t be repeated here.  Two Dad Damron phrases we pull out all the time are:  “Ice cream fills in the cracks!” (‘cause he always had room for ice cream) and “There’s no such thing as a bad mac and cheese.” (‘cause he never met a macaroni and cheese he didn’t like).  I’m glad we have his phrases.  Because we don’t have him anymore, which makes me sad.  I think he would have liked the punks.  I’m sure he would have gotten a lot of laughs out of testing some of his spicier dad-isms on them, too.

And with that we’ve come to the topic at hand (you knew I’d come to food eventually, right?).  If you saw the current sale ad, you probably noticed that March is National Nutrition Month.  When the punks requested macaroni and cheese for dinner last night, I wasn’t sure I could blog about it with a clean conscience.  But I found a recipe that lightened things up considerably.  I’m not sure I would call it nutritious, but at least it’s not as bad for us as a traditional mac and cheese.

Four ingredients are on sale… and most dads I know usually have a thing or two to say about saving money.

Some notes:  I doubled the entire thing without a problem.  The block of cheddar I had was slightly more than what was called for (maybe by ½ cup or so), but it worked out fine.  Also, don’t worry if you think the whole dish seems a little loose when it’s all tossed together; it thickens up in the oven and works out well for leftovers.

MACARONI & CHEESE
4 Servings (as written; again, I doubled it)

Source:  eatingwell.com

• 8 oz. elbow macaroni (Creamette brand is on sale)
• 1 ½ c. low-fat cottage cheese (Dean’s brand is on sale)
• 1 c. non-fat milk (Golden Guernsey gallons are on sale)
• 1 T. flour
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• ¼ t. paprika
• 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar (Sendik’s 2-year sharp cheddar is on sale)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 T. panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat a shallow 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 minutes.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; set aside.  Puree cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.

Heat ¾ c. milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.  In a small glass measuring cup, combine remaining ¼ milk, the flour, the Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, and paprika and whisk until well blended and smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk this mixture into the hot milk and cook, whisking, until sauce is smooth and thick, about two minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the pureed cottage cheese and Cheddar cheese.  Stir in the cooked macaroni.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Spoon into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs.  Top the macaroni and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake until bubbling and brown, about 35 minutes.

Pork tenderloin is on special this week and that makes me happy.  I know, it’s the little things in life, right?  I love pork tenderloin.  It’s one of the favorite meats served ‘round these parts.  I’m forever trying to find different and exciting ways to jazz it up – I have an old standby (the Honey-Gingered recipe that can be found in the archive on your right), but if I made that ev’er single time pork tenderloin came on special, you’d all be ‘bout ready to string me up.

Today’s version is a riff on Ca’lina barbecue (that’s whah I’m tawking in a Suthehn’ ac’see’ent).  Eastern Carolinians are known for their vinegar based sauces and mops.  This thin and tangy version is purty good, although it wasn’t a home run with the entire DamFam.  No Thank You Boy turned up his nose and immediately went the pb&j route (which honestly, I don’t have  a problem with, as long as he makes it himself and doesn’t leave a sticky purple knife on my counter).  The middle child liked it ‘okay’, but the youngest scarfed up an en-tire sandwich in five minutes flat.  A direct quote from her:  “Wow, this chicken (gulps milk) is really good!” (wipes nose)

The milk gulping and nose wiping were because this sauce packs some heat, so watch out.  I think it’s mellowed a bit as it’s sat in the fridge overnight; last night I thought it was a weeeeee bit vinegar-y.  Maybe next time I would tweak it with a smidge of brown sugar to cut the tang.  The lemon coleslaw is a nice, cool contrast to the spicy pork – I highly recommend it!

The original recipe calls for wrapping the shredded pork in lavash, which is Middle Eastern-style flat bread; you can find it on the shelf at the deli counter at Sendik’s.  I had large flour tortillas I needed to use up, and the punks had theirs on hamburger buns.  You can use whatever honks yer’ hooter!

Happy Tuesday!

SHREDDED PORK WRAPS WITH LEMON COLESLAW

Serves: 4

Source:  epicurious.com

• 1 onion, chopped (sweet onions are on sale)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 T. cider vinegar
• ¼ c. ketchup
• 2 T. ketchup-style chili sauce
• 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t. Tabasco
• ¾ c. water
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. black pepper

• 1 – 12 oz. pork tenderloin, cut in half (on sale)

• Lavash, large flour tortillas, or hamburger buns for serving

• Lemon Coleslaw, recipe follows

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 3-4 quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown, about 8 minutes.  Stir in remaining sauce ingredients and simmer (covered) 10 minutes.  Add pork and simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes.

Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board.  Puree cooking liquid in a blender until smooth (USE CAUTION when blending hot liquids; start the blender on low and leave the lid slightly ajar to allow the steam to escape before you ratchet up the speed) and return to pot.  When pork is cool enough to handle, shred lengthwise with your fingers and add to the sauce.  Simmer just until pork is heated through.

Divide pork mixture among lavash, tortillas, or buns and top with some coleslaw, then wrap up and serve.

LEMON COLESLAW

Serves: 4

Source: adapted from epicurious.com

• 1/2 – 14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ c. chopped fresh parsley (because I am a fool for it, I used cilantro)

• 2 T. sour cream (Daisy brand is on sale)
• 2 t. mayonnaise
• ½ t. lemon zest
• 1 t. sugar
• 3 T. water
• ¼ t. salt
• 1/8 t. pepper

Place the coleslaw mix, scallions, and parsley in a mixing bowl and toss to combine.  In a small mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest, sugar, water, salt and pepper and stir until sugar dissolves.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Pour over coleslaw mixture and toss to combine.  Chill for one hour to allow flavors to blend.  Serve with shredded pork.

Wait, I believe that’s someone else’s slogan.

But I ask you:  what better way is there to finish off a long, frigid week than with a big bowl of Salmon Chowder?  It’ll warm your belly, bring a smile to your face, and defrost your outer abominable snowman.

Hope I’m allowed to make such claims.  Maybe I should just stick to the topic at hand.

I didn’t deviate much from the original recipe, other than that I didn’t add the fresh lemon juice at the end.  I was feeling lazy.  Also, I did substitute a leek for one of the two cups of scallions – I was feeling sorry for it, sitting all by its lonesome in my produce drawer.  Oh, and I added a little bit of flour to thicken things up a little bit…so looking back, I guess I did deviate after all!  I’m a deviant, what can I tell you.

Now, you could cut back on the fresh cream if you were so inclined…if say, you’re in the ‘less is more’ camp.  You won’t find me in that camp.  Less is not more.  Less is less.  More is more.  Thank you.

Now you know that I’m both indulgent and deviant.  Hope we can still be friends.

SALMON CHOWDER

Serves: 6

Source:  epicurious.com

• ½ lb. red potatoes (for me this was four medium, and these are on sale)
• ½ lb. sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4” strips
• 2 c. chopped scallions (2 bunches)
• 1 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 T. finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• ½ t. dried thyme
• ½ California bay leaf
• 1/8 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ T. flour
• 3 c. whole milk
• 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 1 lb. salmon fillet (I used the sale wild-caught sockeye)
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. black pepper
• 2 t. fresh lemon juice

Cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes, then cook them in a 1 ½ quart saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 -10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a 5 quart Dutch oven over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the flour to the pan and cook, stirring, for two minutes.  Gradually whisk in the milk, and bring just to a boil.  Reduce heat to moderately low, then add the cream, potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Discard bay leaf before serving soup in heated bowls.

”Next time you go on a trip, remember this little tip:
The minute you get back, they’ll ask you this and that,
You can describe peo-ple, places and things…
Simply unpack – your adjectives
You can do it – with adjectives
Tell them ’bout it – with adjectives
You can shout it with adjectives!”

There you have it.  “Unpack Your Adjectives” was one of my favorite songs from School House Rock.  If you recognized it, I’m sorry there’s no prize money involved.  But satisfaction in knowing that all of those hours in front of the TV on Saturday mornings in 1976 didn’t amount to nothing.  It’s not entirely useless knowledge; I still quote School House Rock to the punks on occasion!  Just a few months ago I dazzled them at the dinner table by reciting the entire Preamble to the Constitution, which I learned not from my 7^th grade government teacher, but from School House Rock.

Now before I bust out “Conjuction Junction” or “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly”, I’ll move on to what got me started on this theme in the first place:  Sea Scallops.  I recognize that I’m easily diverted.  I got caught up unpacking my adjectives.

First of all, this dish is very, very easy.  The list of ingredients is short, and most of them are on sale through tomorrow evening!  The sauce is simple; with lemon, tomatoes, and basil it’s fresh, bright, and tangy, and comes together in a skinny minute.  Pan-searing the scallops creates a delicious, golden crust on the outside, and keeps them smooth and silky on the inside.  Serve a crisp and chilly chardonnay alongside -  it’s quite a lovely dinner for minimal effort!

How was that for descriptive? Enjoy your Monday!

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ORZO, TOMATOES, AND BASIL

Serves: 4

Source:  foodandwine.com

• 1 c. orzo or other tiny pasta (DaVinci Orzo is on sale)
• 1 – 1” inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 large stalk of fresh lemongrass, tender inner core of bottom third only, coarsely chopped (**see note**)
• Vegetable oil
• 4 stem tomatoes, cored and chopped (stem tomatoes are on sale)
• 3 T. chopped fresh basil (Living Basil is on sale)
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb. large sea scallops (on sale)

In a saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and rinse lightly.

Meanwhile, in a mini processor, mince the ginger with the lemongrass.  Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the ginger and lemongrass and cook over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add 2 tablespoons of the basil and the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering.  Add the scallops, season with salt and pepper, and cook over high heat until browned on the bottom, about 2 ½ minutes (do not fiddle with them for a full 2 ½ minutes.  I’m serious!).  When they have a golden crust on the bottom, turn them and continue to cook for one more minute.

Mound the orzo in shallow bowls and top with the tomatoes and scallops.  Sprinkle with the remaining basil and serve.

**NOTE**: I couldn’t find fresh lemongrass at Sendik’s today.  Instead, I used the zest of one whole lemon and a small handful of cilantro leaves and stems, which I happened to have on hand.  I then left out the lemon juice that was supposed to be added at the end; I didn’t want it to get too lemony.  If you go this route, use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest (just the dark yellow part) from the lemon; be careful not to pick up the white part of the peel, it’s bitter and will wreck your dish.

The rest of you, don’t worry!  It’s good, I tell you — really good!  It makes great use of several sale ingredients, and doesn’t taste a thing like a Lean Cuisine.  Think of it this way:  with the calories you’ll save on dinner, you can justify having a bowl of ice cream while you watch the Olympics or American Idol later on tonight.  I’m just sayin’.  Some of us like incentive plans.

Don’t ask me how the idea of coconut curry got lodged in my head…but I’m pretty sure it happened sometime between 8:45 and 10:00 this morning.  Nevermind that during that time I was perched atop a bike, sweating my face off at the gym.  Thoughts of food know no bounds for this twisted blogger; bizarre cravings pop up at the oddest moments, even whilst spinning.  It’s an illness.  I’m working on it.

Enjoy!

COCONUT CURRY WITH CHICKEN & BASIL

Serves: 4

Weight Watchers Simply Delicious Cookbook, (copyright 2002), p. 96.

• 2 t. canola oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large), 1” dice
• ½ t. salt
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t. minced fresh ginger
• 1 T. packed brown sugar
• 2 t. Thai red curry paste
• ½ t. ground cumin
• ½ lb. fresh asparagus (on sale), cut diagonally into 1” pieces
• 1 c. coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand is on sale; find it in the Asian aisle on the bottom shelf) **see note**
• 1 T. fish sauce
• ¼ c. fresh basil (on sale), chopped, plus additional sprigs for garnish

• Hot cooked rice for serving (I love the Texmati that’s on sale this week)

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet, then add the chicken and sprinkle with the salt (it may be necessary to do this in batches; do not crowd your chicken!).  Saute until browned on all sides, then transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in the same skillet over low heat, then add the onion, garlic, and ginger.  Saute until fragrant and the onions are softened, about five minutes.  Stir in the brown sugar, red curry paste, and cumin; cook one minute, stirring constantly.  Add the coconut milk, the fish sauce, and the chicken; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for five minutes.  Add the asparagus and stir to combine.  Replace the cover and continue to simmer for an additional three minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and asparagus is crisp-tender.  Stir in the basil.  Serve chicken curry over rice; garnish with additional basil sprigs if desired.

**NOTE:  the recipe calls for only a ½ cup of coconut milk.  I couldn’t resist…I added a whole cup.  Obviously my version is well over 8 points, for anyone who’s counting!

And now for even more culinary merry-making: tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, the last hurrah of the Mardi Gras season.  Down in New Orleans they’ll be celebrating with parades, over-the-top parties, and all kinds of naughty foods and libations.  The following day the party’s over, and Ash Wednesday will mark the beginning of Lent.

What are you going to give up?  I haven’t decided yet.  Maybe I’ll give up playing hooky from spin class.  (*rolls eyes*.)

Anyway, here are two great recipes to help you celebrate Fat Tuesday tomorrow.  I think they’re both terrific!  Red Beans and Rice are traditional Cajun / Creole fair – so down to earth and homey.  This short-cut version won’t win any beauty contests, but if you can get past that it is yuuuummy! I used andouille sausage (on sale through tomorrow) in mine, but you could tone down the spiciness by using regular kielbasa.  The list of ingredients is short and the dish will come together in no time, you’ll just need to allow about an hour for it to simmer away on the stove.

Along with simple roasted asparagus on the side, I’m also going to serve these delicious spicy baked shrimp.  These are more of an appetizer, but I thought they’d be a fun addition to a Fat Tuesday table…what the heck, the shrimp are on sale!  These are so outstanding – and you’ll want to serve a hunk of crusty French bread alongside them to soak up the sweet and spicy sauce.  Heavenly!

Oh, and by the way – if you’re looking for a nice wine pairing – my friend Kevin at the Mequon store suggested either the Cline Red Zinfandel (around $11.00), or the Michel Picard Vouvray (also $11.00).  I can’t wait for 5:00!  J

Enjoy!

SHORT CUT RED BEANS & RICE
Serves:  6

Source:  epicurious.com

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced into ½” thick rounds (Usinger’s Andouille is on sale)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14 ½ oz. cans kidney beans (undrained)
• 1 c. low-salt chicken broth (Imagine Organic Broth is on sale)
• 1 t. Creole or Cajun seasoning (I used Emeril’s Bayou Blast)

• 3 c. hot cooked rice

Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add sausage, onion, and garlic and sauté until onion is brown, about 15 minutes.  Mix in kidney beans with their juices, broth, and Creole seasoning.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until flavors are blended and mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally, about one hour.  (I took the lid off toward the end to let mine reduce a little more).

Divide cooked rice among large shallow soup bowls.  Spoon bean mixture over rice and serve.

SPICY BAKED SHRIMP

Serves: 4

Source:  epicurious.com

• ½ c. olive oil
• 2 T. Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 T. honey
• 1 T. soy sauce
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 lb. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• Lemon wedges
• Warm French bread

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a 9×13” baking dish.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.  Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450.  Bake shrimp until they’re cooked through, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes.  Garnish with lemon wedges and serve shrimp with French bread.

Until recently, I haven’t considered myself to be much of a baker.  I don’t much delve into the world of yeast doughs or pie crusts  (kitchen confession:  I’m intimidated by yeast.  Scares the b’jeepers outta me!).  Sendiks offers perfectly good pizza dough and French baguettes, and Pillsbury makes a fine pie crust.  So, as far as my baking expertise goes, cookies and cakes are about all I’m good for.

Today I have for you a little Valentine’s Day inspiration -– a couple of sweet ideas for you to bake up for the Valentines in your life!  One is over-the-top, and the other a bit more subdued.  You can probably tell from the photos which is which!

The cake…OH, the CAKE!  It’s super moist, absolutely amazing, and not at all difficult to concoct.  I made it in a heart-shaped bundt pan (everybody say ‘awe’!), but you could certainly divide it into two 9” rounds and use your favorite buttercream recipe for a layer cake.  I went the ganache route, but you could skip the frosting step all together and simply dust the cake with powdered sugar if you like.  I also recommend plopping a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside each slice for good measure (gild the lily much, Leah?!).

As for the brownies: supposedly they’re ‘low fat’, although that seems like kind of a laugh to me.  Maybe ‘low-ER’ fat is more like it.  They’re decent, as far as a reduced fat brownie goes … definitely more cakey than fudgy.  I’m just throwing them out there for you…y’know, to give you a ‘healthier’ option.  Personally, they’re not my cup of tea (just keepin’ it real); I’d rather have a fudgy brownie.  These definitely could use a plop of ice cream!

Anyway, guilt “free” or guilt”y” — you decide.  I’ll never judge!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

SUPER MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Serves: 12-14

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 ¾ c. flour
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• 1 ½ t. baking soda
• ¾ c. good quality unsweetened cocoa
• 1 t. salt

• 2 eggs
• 1 c. milk
• ½ c. vegetable oil
• 2 t. vanilla
• ¾ c. hot, strong coffee (I used ¾ c. hot water and 2 t. instant Sanka)

For Ganache:

• ¾ c. heavy cream
• ½ lb. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease well and flour two 9” baking pans, one 9×13” pan, or a bundt pan.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Beat on high for 2 minutes.  Stir in the coffee by hand (the batter will be very thin).  Pour the batter in to the prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes for round pans, and 35-40 minutes for a 9×13, and 40-45 minutes for a bundt pan, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire cooling racks or a cake stand.  Frost as desired, or dust with powdered sugar.  For a bundt cake, ice with chocolate ganache, or dust with powdered sugar.

For ganache, pour whipping cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Remove from heat and immediately add the chopped chocolate to the pan.  Allow to sit for a few minutes, then stir until  the chocolate is all melted and mixture is glossy.  Immediately pour ganache over the bundt cake, allowing ganache to run down the sides.  Cut and serve and enjoy!

LOWER-FAT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Makes:  24

Source:  foodnetwork.com

• 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 T. butter
• 1 c. flour
• ¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ t. salt
• ¼ t. baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 c. packed light brown sugar
• ½ c. plain low-fat yogurt
• ¼ c. canola oil
• 2 t. vanilla
• ¾ c. Heath Bar bits, mini chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9×13”pan with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth.  Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk until combined.  Add the chocolate-butter mixture and whisk until blended.  Add the flour mixture and mix until just moistened.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with your topping of choice.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached (do not over bake).  Cool completely in the pan.  Cut into 24 squares and serve.

(Pardon me, won’t you, while I go feather my hair. Have you seen my crazy comb?)

Boar’s Head roast beef is on sale this week, and that’s all the inspiration I needed to re-create the French Dip sandwich from my eighth grade days. Well, that and I needed a quick dinner for tonight. So, grab your Member’s Only jacket and let’s party like it’s 1983 – we’re making French Dip today!

As an added bonus, I took the liberty of looking up the Top 40 songs from 1983. For a more authentic 80’s feel, I recommend that you hum anything off of this playlist while you make dinner tonight:

1). Safety Dance / Men Without Hats

2). Come On Eileen / Dexy’s Midnight Runners

3). Rio / Duran Duran

4). Little Red Corvette / Prince

5). Mr. Roboto / Styx

No thanks necessary. I live for this stuff.

FRENCH DIP SANDWICH

Makes 4

Source: foodnetwork.com

• 2 T. butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 T. flour
• 2 T. dry sherry
• 2 cans beef consumme
• 1 ½ lbs. good quality deli roast beef (Boar’s Head is on sale)
• Grill seasoning blend for steak, such as Montreal Steak Seasoning, or salt and pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls, split and toasted (Sendik’s whole grain hoagie rolls are on sale)

In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and sauté 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in sherry and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated. Whisk in consumer in a slow stream. Bring sauce up to a bubble and allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches.

Pile meat loosely across your work surface. Season meat with grill seasoning or salt and black pepper. To assemble sandwiches, use a pair of kitchen tongs to dip meat into the au jus, then pile into rolls. Serve sandwiches with small cups of just for dipping.