Chocolate Cupcakes With A Rolo In The Middle AND Nutella Icing !

No jelly beans and no peeps for me, but I do LOVE a good chocolate cupcake.  I mean, seriously, who doesn't?  And what could make a chocolate cupcake even better?  A surprise in the middle.  A really super fantastic surprise baked right in the middle.  A super fantastic Rolo candy surprise baked in the middle.  Yes, a Rolo candy - one of the world's best candies as far as I am concerned - baked right in the middle of a heavenly, super moist chocolate cupcake.  And what can make it even better than that?  Why, Nutella frosting on the top.  Uh huh.  That's right.  Nutella buttercream frosting.  Now THAT is what I call a cupcake!

Today was our volunteer day.  We spend Wednesdays working at Sophia's Heart here in East Nashville.  It is a wonderful organization that provides transitional housing for people who have lost their homes through unfortunate circumstances and also has an outstanding arts program for young people in the neighborhood.  Check out their web site for information.  It is a very worthwhile organization that could use lots and lots of help, especially financial.

After our day at Sophia's Heart, we stopped by our daughter's home to visit with the new baby who is 3 weeks old today.  He is so alert and strong and of course, very handsome.  He already holds his head straight up when you put him on your shoulder.  (He's gonna be a bruiser.)  Everyone is doing great and we are so thrilled to have him in our family.  They don't stay babies very long so we try to enjoy every moment with them we can.  It's great to have 5 out of 6 grandsons living within a few minutes driving time.  We are soooooooo lucky to be able to live in the same town with them (and their parents too).

After we got home this evening, I didn't know if I wanted to sit down and write an entry for my blog.  Grandma was tired.   When I walked through the kitchen, turned on the light and saw the cake plate of yummy cupcakes sitting there, I realized that the recipe needed to be shared.  Dan made some coffee, I got myself a cupcake and started to write.  This recipe is fantastic and you really should try it as soon as possible!  Here is what you need:

Cupcakes

1 devils food cake mix (I use Aldis)
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
24 Rolo candies, unwrapped

Icing:

1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 cup Nutella
2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Makes 2 dozen (24), so line pan(s) with cupcake papers accordingly.

Mix all the ingredients for the cake in a large mixing bowl at medium speed on your mixer.  Mix thoroughly, but do not over mix the batter so cupcakes will be light and not tough.  Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 full of batter.  I use a heaping 1/4 cup measure and that is just about right.  Now, push one Rolo candy into the center of each cupcake.  As the cake bakes, it will cover the Rolo, though you may have a slight dimple in the middle of the cupcake.  That's okay, you will cover it with frosting.  Bake for about 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool while you prepare the frosting.

To make the frosting, set your mixer on medium and mix the softened stick of butter until light and fluffy.  Add 1/2 cup Nutella and mix until it is all incorporated and light and fluffy.  Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix until incorporated.   Icing will be rather stiff, so add just a little milk a few drops at a time until the icing is of spreading consistency.

You can spread the icing with a knife.   I decided to pipe it in the center of each cupcake because I don't like tons of icing.  It also looks pretty that way.  If you like a lot of icing, you might want to double the icing recipe.  To pipe,  cut the corner off a gallon zip lock bag, place a piping tip of your choice through the corner, fill the bag with icing and pipe whatever design you want on each cupcake.

These are DELICIOUS!!!!!  The cupcake recipe is off the Aldi's devil's food cake mix and it is super moist and chocolaty.  I decided to add the Rolos to the middle for a "little surprise" and because I really, really like Rolos.  When you bite into the cupcake, the rich little chocolate nugget in the middle is awesome and the ooey gooey caramel in the middle of the candy is the bomb with the texture and flavor of the cupcake!

Our 8 and 5 year old grandsons were here to help make these cupcakes (and great help they were).  They got to pipe icing on their very own cupcakes which made them very happy indeed.  It's the little things you know.  They declared them excellent cupcakes and we had so much fun making and sharing them.  As for Dan, well he has certainly eaten his fair share!  I think they are a hit.

Give this recipe a try.  I so enjoyed eating my cupcake while I typed.  What a fabulous ending to a great day.  Sigh.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Live, love, laugh and eat cupcakes!

What Can You Do With Jelly Beans Besides Eat Them?

Did you ever wonder what you could do with jelly beans besides eat them?  First off, let me say that I am not a fan - never have been, never will be.  They are so pretty to look at, but that is a trick!  Never be fooled by the way something looks.  It doesn't mean it will taste good.   I finally asked my mom to stop putting them in my Easter basket when I was a child.  Ugh.  Do you like jelly beans?  Does anyone really, besides my mom?

These days there are so many different kinds of jelly beans than the ones we grew up with.  There are so many colors and flavors, but that doesn't change my opinion one little bit.  My mom was the only person I knew who loved even the black licorice jelly beans.  She would pick them all out of our Easter baskets and the bowl on the table and eat them.  She was welcome to every jelly bean in the basket as far as I was concerned, didn't care what color it was.  Ew, and then there were peeps.  That's a whole new subject.  Double ugh.

Anyway, I had some styrofoam balls in my craft stash and these cute little flower pots from the Dollar Tree.  I think they are actually starter seed pots, but they are so cute.  Those pots and styrofoam balls just kept looking at me, saying do something with me.  After a little study, I came up with the idea to cover the balls in something "Easterish" because I am changing all my decorations over to a spring theme.  We were at the grocery store and I was perusing all the Easter decorations and there were these sacks of really pretty jelly beans.  Loved the colors.

Look how pretty they are - peach, pink, yellow, turquoise, green and lavender.  They look pretty enough to eat, so I tasted one.  They're still gross.  But, the colors have certainly improved.  I bought a couple bags and brought them home  thinking I will come up with a use for them - and then it came to me.  I decided to make little topiaries.  Those would look so springy.

First, I painted 3 of the little pots sort of a white wash and that was accomplished by watering down some white acrylic paint and lightly brushing it on the pots and letting them dry.  Next, I cut two 4 inch styrofoam balls in half and shaved 3 of the halves down a little so they would fit inside the pots.  I ran a bead of hot glue around the edge of the styrofoam next to the pot to hold it in place.

I had a quarter inch dowel rod that I cut in several pieces about 7 inches long.  I pushed one into the center of each styrofoam ball in the pots and hot glued them to keep them steady.  Then, I dabbed some green acrylic paint on the styrofoam and painted the stick green to look like a flower stem.  I used a small foam brush to do this.  (Only use acrylic paint on styrofoam.  Any paint with solvents in it can disintegrate the styrofoam.)

Next, I painted 3 styrofoam balls with pink acrylic paint and let them dry.   Center a ball on the top of each stem and gently push it onto the stem.  Hot glue around the base of the ball where it meets the stem to keep it in place.

Now, the real fun begins.  Dump all the jelly beans in a bowl so it is easy to see all the colors.  Fire up your hot glue gun and go to work. (Be careful and don't burn yourself)   I placed a row of the jelly beans around the center of the styrofoam ball north to south.  Place a dab of hot glue on the bottom of each jelly bean and hold it in place until the glue dries.  I started in the center top and worked down one side, then the other.  If you don't like slightly tedious work, you are in trouble.  lol

This divides the ball in half.  Now, you want to quarter the ball by diving the ball in half the other way.  Start at the center top and glue the jelly beans in the opposite direction.

See how you now have quarter sections between the rows?  This is where you will work next.  I randomly alternated my colors, but you can make them all one color if you prefer - it will just take more jelly beans.  I started at the top and filled in the first row around the top.  I actually placed each jelly bean I planned to use before I glued it to make sure it fit the space.  Continue with each row working top to bottom, keeping the jelly beans close together.  You want to fill in as much space as possible.  Every once in a while, you will come to a place where the jelly bean won't be small enough, so I would find the biggest jelly bean I could to fill in two spaces and kind of turned it side ways to fill in the space.  

Keep working left to right (or vice versa) filling in each row until you get to the bottom.  I then laid the topiary on it's side and filled in the bottom spaces.  Using this method made it much easier to see what I was doing.  Finish by pulling off all the "glue webs" like you see in the picture.

This is where I discovered the problem.  Yup, a bit of a problem.  These puppies are quite top heavy and don't want to stand up when jarred.  So, here is what I did.  I used some double sided tape on the bottom of the pots to hold them in place on the stands I am using.  A better solution (and what I will do next time) is to use a slightly bigger pot and put some rocks under the styrofoam for some weight.  Or, you can use a smaller styrofoam ball.  It's up to you.  It's not the end of the world, but I just didn't want them falling over every time we walked by the table they are sitting on.  Should have thought of that, but who knew how heavy jelly beans would be?  Duh

I had some green and yellow shred and stuffed it in the tops of the pots for a kind of "Dr. Seuss" grass effect.  I LOVE the way it looks all crazy and sprouty.  If you want a more finished look, you could place some moss over the styrofoam and fake leaves on the stems.  I just like the more whimsical look.  They are jelly beans after all.

Now, isn't that adorable?  The topiary is so festive and springy and will be so much fun to look at.  The grandsons are going to love them.  Who knew jelly beans could be so cute?  Almost makes me want to eat one.  Almost.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

No jelly beans were harmed in the making of this project.  I used approximately 1 and 2/3 bags of jelly beans.

Salisbury Steak - Total Comfort Food

Happy Monday to all.  Everyone's favorite day of the week right?  Not so much?  Why is that?  Why is Monday so hard?  Even songs written about Monday give it a bad rap.  You never hear "hip hip hooray, it's Monday!"  It's things like Monday, Monday, can't trust that day.  Guess it's because the weekend is over and it's back to the grind.  Maybe we need to start an "Up With Monday" group or something.

Today was a perfectly lovely Monday here in middle Tennessee and I really have no complaints.  Hope your Monday was the same.  We did some errands and enjoyed the sunshine, even though it was a little cool.  I will take that ANY day over all the scary storms we had on Friday, yes indeed.  My heart goes out to everyone who lost so much.  It is just another reminder not to put stock in "things", but in those you love and care about.  Things can be replaced.

Sunday was a great day, because Sunday evening we got to watch our oldest daughter on 60 Minutes which was really awesome!  She had all the family members living here over to her house for a 60 Minutes party.  It was really interesting trying to watch with 4 little boys running around screeching and playing while the baby hung on to his mama because he had not heard so much noise in his 2 and a half weeks here in this world.  Actually, I am not sure I had heard anything like it in my  63 years.  haha  We all saw bits and pieces as we could and enjoyed each others company.  After we got home, we watched in online and actually got to see the whole story.  It was still fun watching all the little boys play.  Shows how unimportant things are to little guys who are just enjoying life.  We could probably all learn a lesson here.

After we got home this afternoon, I spent some time on a project I have been working on and then it was  that "what are we going to have for dinner?" moment that arises like some big surprise.  Not.  I don't always plan meals ahead, do you?   Sometimes I wake up in the morning and know what I want to make for dinner, other times it's the very last thing I want to think about.  Today was one of those days.

While I worked on my project, I thought - Salisbury Steak!  I want Salisbury steak.  It is one of my favorites from childhood.  I'm weird I know.   I loved salisbury steak in the school cafeteria - probably the only one in the world.  I even like it in a TV dinner now and then and I LOVE it home made.

Ever wonder were the name Salisbury Steak comes from?  It is named for an American physician by the name of Dr. J. H. Salisbury.  He created the steak to use in a low carbohydrate weight loss diet and the term Salisbury Steak has been in use since 1897.  Yeah, it's been around a while and it's Worcestershire sauce that gives it it's distinct flavor.  Worcestershire sauce has been around since 1853.  Wow.  Talk about staying power!

This is how I make this delicious comfort food.  Here is what you need:

2 medium onions, dice 1/2 onion and cut the remaining 1.5 onions into rings
1.5 pounds ground beef (80/20)
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
4 ounces (1/2 an 8 ounce pkg) baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 32 oz box beef broth
2 TBSP vegetable oil

Place the ground beef, bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, and egg in a bowl and set aside.  Put 1 TBSP vegetable oil in a large saute pan.  Add the 1/2 diced onion and cook just until translucent.  Remove pan from heat and put cooked onion in bowl with ground beef mixture.  Add about 1 tsp salt and black pepper.  Thoroughly mix, incorporating all ingredients.  Form the ground beef mixture into 6 oval patties.

Slice remaining 1.5 onions into rings.  Remove the stems from the mushrooms, wipe clean and thinly slice.  Set aside.

Put the patties in the large saute pan and cook about 4-5 minutes on each side and remove from pan.  They will not be done at this point, but you will finish them in the gravy mixture.

Drain off all but 2 Tbsp of the fat from the pan.  (I didn't have to drain any, meat was that lean)  Add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to remaining fat in pan, keeping all the bits from browning the patties (that is LOTS of flavor). Add onions and  mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent.  Add the 1/4 cup all purpose flour and stir into the onions and mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.  Add the box of beef broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and place the patties back in the gravy mixture and cook for 10-15 until the gravy thickens.    You are ready to serve!

We had mashed potatoes and roasted carrots with fresh thyme to accompany our delicious Salisbury steaks.  YUM  This made for a great Monday supper - it just hit the spot and did not fail my comfort food craving.

We all have those "favorites" we go to when it comes to food.  There are foods that take me to a certain place just like a song can.  Food memories play such a special part in our lives - likes and dislikes.  Sometimes it is something as simple as a piece of toast, or as complicated as a Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope you will try this recipe when you are looking for "comfort" food.  It is really, really delicious and easy to make.  It won't be rubbery like cafeteria food or TV dinners can be (even though I like them both).  It is tender and flavorful and the onion/mushroom gravy is spectacular.  Salisbury steak day was always a good day in the school cafeteria for me, especially if it was Monday - a lifetime food memory.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort."

Author: Sheilah Graham

Honey Lime Chicken - To Die For!

What a day, what a day, what a nearly perfect day!  March 1 and the weather is absolutely glorious here in middle Tennessee.  Actually, I would call it perfect weather.  Sun, gentle breeze, and the flowering trees are all beginning to bloom.  There is a riot of color everywhere which is so nice to see after the dullness of winter.

Today, we made a trek across town to visit the good old insurance man to sign Dan up for all the Medicare supplements.  Forms, forms and more forms.  Yup, he starts receiving benefits on April 1.  I am not sure sometimes how he can possibly be eligible for Medicare.  Where has the time gone?  I met him when he was 17 and I was 15 and it has all gone by in a flash!  One day we were going to the prom and today he is signing up for Medicare.  So, all of you younger people remember to savor every moment because it won't be long and you will be asking where has it gone?

On the upside, because it was such a fabulous day weather wise I pronounced that supper would be cooked on the grill.  Yes!!  Everything done out of doors and let me tell you, this recipe is a KEEPER!  I found it on one of my favorite web sites, PlainChicken.com.  Most every recipe I have made from her site has been excellent.  I thought I would pass this one on to you so you can try it too.   We had this delicious honey lime chicken with grilled vegetables and if I had just had an ocean and some sand right outside the door, it would have been like eating at the beach!  Oh, I need to go to the beach.

Anyway, here is what you need:

4 chicken breasts (I use boneless, skinless)
1/2 cup lime juice (it took 3 whole limes)
1/3 cup oil
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic mashed
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix the lime juice, oil, honey, thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves and black pepper in a bowl.  Put the chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip lock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.  Squeeze out the excess air as you zip the bag and knead it over and over to make sure all the chicken has been covered with the marinade.  Put the bag in a container (in case of leaks) and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours.  (I knead it again from time to time, just to make sure all the chicken gets it's chance in the pool.)  Put the chicken on the grill and cook until juices run clear.  The marinade allowed the chicken to take on a beautiful color and lots of nice grill marks.    All the chefs on the Food Network say grill marks are very important.  Whatever.  I always thought it mattered if it tasted good.

Fantastic!  All I have to say.  The chicken was super tender and oh so tasty.  Dan and I decided it would be nice to save back a little of the marinade before adding it to the bag to use as a dipping sauce for the cooked chicken because the flavors are so good.  I'll do that next time and there will be many next times with this recipe.

I actually cheated and did 6 chicken breasts because that's how many I had and there was plenty of marinade for all of them.  Now, we have extra chicken for tacos - yippee -  another one of our favorites.  This yummy chicken would also be fantastic on a green salad.  Since tomorrow is Friday, and cleaning day, it will be an easy food day because I cooked ahead.  Yes!  Don't you love when that happens?  I sure do!

Here's hoping you have a wonderful weekend.  Hope you have great weather and you have a new recipe to try!   I really think you are going to like this one.  Now, if I just had that ocean and sand outside the door, it would really be perfect.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

It is very important that when you put something on the grill, you leave it in place to cook. If you move it around too quickly, chances are it is going to stick.
Bobby Flay

Fried Polenta With Sauteed Spinach And Lardons Of Bacon

Do you ever get tired of the same old side dishes over and over?  Corn, peas, beans and carrots fixed 5 different ways to Sunday.  And of course, potatoes and rice done to death.  Sometimes I just want something different, with a little punch of flavor - a hint of spice or heat.  I whipped this up one night to go with a pasta dish we were having and it was such a hit, I have continued to make it.

We do love spinach in our household - baby spinach to be exact.  I often saute' it with garlic and olive oil to serve as a side.  We also eat a lot of fresh spinach in salads which is super delicious.  But, this dish is something different and is excellent served with pasta.

Do you ever use polenta?   Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal (ground maize), which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.   Wikipedia   You can buy it in tubes like in the picture below and you can get it in different flavors.  For this recipe, you just want plain old polenta.  Delish!

 We love it sliced and  fried all crispy and brown around the edges and topped with something delicious.  Just slice it in rounds and fry in a pan with a little oil.  I use olive oil for this recipe.

 Growing up my mom used to fix what we called fried mush and topped it with maple syrup for breakfast.  Well, mush meet polenta.  Same thing, just a much fancier name.  Polenta - has a nicer ring to it doesn't it?  We had polenta for dinner.  Yes.  We had mush for dinner.  Nope.

Actually, polenta was considered peasant food in Italy just as mush would have been considered poor man's food here in the good old USA.   My research tells me that mush was a southern staple, so that explains why my "Kentucky" side of the family ate it.  Polenta now has achieved a new place in the world of cuisine, being served in many fancy restaurants.  If you watch the Food Network, you will see polenta prepared by many of the chefs and I must say, I do love it!

Now, let's talk about smoked bacon.

I buy smoked bacon at the farmer's market in fragrant little chunks like the one above and it is so fabulous to use for adding amazing layers of flavor to any recipe.  You get so much "oomph" with just a few little lardons cooked all crisp and brown.  Now "lardon" is a fancy term I learned on the Food Network.  It is pronounced lar-DONE (long O) and is a French term.  It means to cut little match stick pieces of bacon.  That's it.  Yeah, fancy huh?  Learn the term and use the technique in your next recipe!  You will impress everyone when you ask if they love the lardons of bacon.

Here is how you make lardons.  Just cut a piece across the bacon about 1/4 inch thick.  Then, you slice that piece into little match stick pieces to cook.  If all you have is strip bacon, just place a few strips on top of each other, place them parallel to you and cut across the strips in about 1/4 inch pieces.  It is just not as thick as the country bacon, but will serve the purpose.  Remember - lardons!  Use the term to impress!!

Now, place the lardons in a saute pan with just a few drops of olive oil and cook until crispy.  Cutting them this size lets them cook at the same time.

When they are nice and crispy, remove the bacon lardons from the pan.   This keeps them from getting soggy while you cook the remainder of the dish.

Add 2 cloves of garlic that you have minced and quickly saute'.  Now, add 1 bag of spinach a few hands full at a time and let it wilt down, stirring as it does.  Throw in a couple pinches of red pepper flakes for a little kick.  Remove from the pan and add the bacon.  Place a few rounds of fried polenta on a plate and cover with some of the sauteed spinach (and be sure and get some of that bacon in there),  It's all garlicky and bacony and spinachy and  yummy.  Mm Mm Mm

This is really an easy recipe to make and it is wonderful as an alternative to always serving a salad with pasta.  The contrast of the crispy fried polenta is so good with the sauteed spinach.  Actually, you could serve this with just about any entree.

Give this recipe a try next time you want something a little different.  And, if you want to try polenta for breakfast with some maple syrup, give it a shot!  It's very tasty and a nice alternative to all the regular breakfast fair.  Polenta - the new mush.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"Polenta? Oh, you mean Italian grits."    unknown

Pulled Pork In The Slow Cooker - Delish!

That my friends, is a pulled pork sandwich made in the slow cooker and is it ever delicious and easy.  Talk about a tasty meal to come home to after a long day at work or a long day anywhere.  This is something you can put in your slow cooker in the morning, come home and - ta dah - dinner is almost complete.   No fretting or standing long hours at the stove to feed you and your family and it's much better than carry out!

I grew up in Evansville, Indiana, where barbecue was king and everyone had their favorite barbecue joint.  Growing up, there were so many wonderful barbecue restaurants.  Each one was slightly different from the other, yet similar.   Evansville barbecue used a tomato based sauce and the meat was cooked over open pits using hickory wood to give the barbecue that awesome smokey flavor.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.   Mac's Barbecue also had the best potato salad EVER and their pies were to die for.  Just sayin' for all of you who remember Mac's!

When I was young, my uncle moved to California to work for the space industry and he would request barbecue for holiday gifts since they could not get barbecue like we were accustomed to in Evansville.  Many of the barbecue places in town had barbecue gift packages that could be shipped.   My mom always sent barbecue because that's what their family always requested.  That's how good Evansville Barbecue was!

Isn't it funny how you get attached to food memories from childhood and it's hard to change to anything different?  My husband has cousins in Alabama and we visited several times.  They served barbecue for dinner one night, but I did not recognize it as anything I was accustomed to.  They barbecued chicken and basted it with a concoction of mayonnaise, black pepper and vinegar and called it barbecue.  That was unlike any barbecue I had ever eaten.

There are so many styles of barbecue.  Besides Evansville barbecue, some that I have eaten are Memphis style barbecue, North Carolina barbecue, Kansas City barbecue, and Texas barbecue.  Each kind of barbecue is as different from the other as can be.   The only kind that Dan didn't like was North Carolina because it is vinegar based and he does NOT like vinegar.  I can eat about any of them, but Evansville barbecue is still my favorite, hands down.

This pulled pork recipe lacks that wonderful smokiness of pit barbecue, but it is super easy to make and really delicious which are the two most important things  - easy and delicious!  Here is what you need:

about 2 pounds of pork loin or pork tenderloin

1 12 oz can root beer

a 28 oz bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

Put the pork in your slow cooker and pour in the can of root beer.  Put the lid on and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for  5/6 hours.  When cooking time is up and the meat is tender (and it will fall apart), drain the rootbeer and any fat.  Using two forks, pull the pork apart (hence the name pulled pork).  It literally fell apart, took about 1 minute to accomplish this task.  Cover the pulled pork with your favorite barbecue sauce and let it heat up in the slow cooker for about 20 minutes.  That's it! 

Place the pork on a bun, rye bread, kaiser roll or however you like to eat it.  Delicious!  Add pickle and onion if you like it that way.  Serve it up with some cole slow on top if that's the way you like to eat your barbecue or add some extra sauce for that "drip down your elbow" effect that makes barbecue sooooo good.  We had roasted potatoes and a salad with our sandwiches and let me tell you, it was very tasty, super quick and easy.   

Now, was that not the easiest barbecue recipe ever?  I know it's not as much fun as cooking it on the grill or smoker and getting that extra kick from the delicious smoke flavor, but it is so easy and extra nice to come home to a meal that is almost done!  

Give this recipe a try next time you have a busy day ahead and need something quick and easy for dinner that will not require waiting hours to eat.   I think you are going to like it!    

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:   

"Spare rib anyone?" - Adam    

Easy Peasey Cake

Hope this finds you all well and happy after a wonderful weekend.  The weather here was glorious and there are definite signs of spring everywhere (even though it seems a bit early).  Trees are flowering and daffodils and quince are blooming and the grass is starting to get some green patches in it.  We will be mowing and trimming before you know it.

Dan and I had a very lazy Sunday after a rather busy week of helping out with our new grandson and having the older grandsons for an overnight.  Saturday morning we had to get up bright and early (and I do mean early) to help our daughter with the baby and her two year old while her husband worked at a medical conference.  It's just a bit too soon to try several flights of stairs with a 10 day old and a 2 year old.  So, we breezed by the coffee shop on our way over and spent the day helping out wherever needed.

When Sunday rolled around, we were both exhausted.  Needless to say, we didn't do a lot most of the day.  We did run a few errands and enjoyed the sunshine.  I wanted to watch the Academy Awards last night so I prepared a simple supper of chicken and noodles and made the killer cake in the picture just so we would have something elegant to enjoy while watching the awards.  I have to give a shout out to Meryl Streep for winning best actress.  Way to go Meryl!

Let me tell you, this cake is SUPER easy to make and is soooooooo good.  The recipe comes from my St. Louis Days, St. Louis Nights cookbook and I have been making it for years.  Anybody out there remember jelly rolls?  Did you ever eat a jelly roll as a child?  I happen to be a huge fan of jelly rolls - delicious sponge type cake with a layer of raspberry filling rolled up in it.  YUM!   This recipe is reminiscent of those and way easier than making a jelly roll.

Here is what you will need:

1 Sara Lee frozen pound cake, 16 oz
1 jar raspberry all fruit spread
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

That's it!  Easy peasey.

This cake is perfect for all of you with a baking phobia or little time to make a dessert.  Everyone will think you slaved for hours in the kitchen.  We will keep this secret between us (wink wink)!

Slice the cake while it is mostly still frozen because it slices easier.  Try to get 5 layers of cake, sometimes I can only seem to get 4.  Works fine either way.   Hold the cake perpendicular to the cutting board and slice very thin slices top to bottom using a good bread knife.  When you get to the third or fourth layer, you may have to set the cake on the cutting board and cut from right to left or vice versa depending on which hand you use to cut.

Now, use a couple tablespoons of raspberry fruit spread on the first layer.  Put the next layer on top and repeat until you come to the top layer.

Now it's time to make the fabulous chocolate icing.  Again, easy peasey.  Melt the 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring constantly so they don't scorch.  When all the chips are melted, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the cup of sour cream.  When all the sour cream is incorporated, add one tsp of vanilla and REFRAIN from eating it all before you ice the cake.  Oh my goodness it's so good.

Ice the sides of the cake first, and then the top.  There is lots of icing for this cake, so at this point I cut the corner off a zip lock bag, put a star tip in and fill the bag with the remaining icing and pipe the remaining icing around the cake just to fancy it up and not waste any of the icing.  This is how your cake will look when you slice it.

Look at those layers of raspberry between the yummy, buttery pound cake covered in fabulous chocolate icing.  Now, how much easier could that possibly be and how much tastier?  I just don't know.  It is very reminiscent of those delicious childhood jelly rolls that we used to have,  but this is all doctored up with incredible chocolate icing.

You may have shied away from some of the other recipes that required measuring and mixing and baking, but you really really need to give this one a try.  Everyone will think you are amazing!  Remember, it's our little secret.   They will think you are a regular Betty Crocker.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
-  Harriet Van Horne, Vogue 10/1956