Its not Tuesday - What's it to ya?

So, yesterday was recipe trade day. I had a recipe to share with you all, but then I made dinner. A dinner which I had never made before. A dinner which resulted in my husband coming to the kitchen on bended knee begging me to marry him again. Apparently, he liked his dinner. Earlier in the afternoon we were at Central Market and he had a sudden severe craving for "the darkest dark chocolate cake." So, I grabbed a big chunk of Callebaut bittersweet and made him a cake. Without further ado here are the two recipes that caused the stoic husband of mine to consider renewing his vows. I'll save the champagne poached chicken for next week, and Ill get it out on time (on Tuesday). Maybe Ill even write it up and use that "post at future time" feature! (Note: sometimes when I say "recipe" what I really mean is a "guide" as I often do not actually measure and stuff like that. I am a taste and adjust kind f girl.)

Dark Chocolate Kahlua Cake (adapted from R.S.'s recipe back in Atsugi)

1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix (use Devil's food if you can't find, but the DCF is better)
4 eggs
3/4 cup Kahlua
1 cup sour cream
1 cup oil
6 oz chocolate chips
a bit of cocoa and granulated sugar (for prepared pan)
*Dark chocolate ganache

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Bundt pan with non-stick spray and then coat with a mixture of cocoa and granulated sugar.
• Mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips.
• Stir in chocolate chips when batter well combined.
• Bake approximately 45 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack and then invert onto serving plate.
• Glaze with Dark chocolate ganache

*Dark chocolate ganache - grate a good amount (I probably used about 10 oz) of high quality bittersweet chocolate. Warm about 1/3 -1/2 cups heavy cream in microwave (DO NOT BOIL!) Whisk chocolate into warm cream until melted, smooth, and shiny. Spoon over top of cake and let it ooze down the sides.

Okay, I have to run. No time to post pasta directions, but want you to have time to make a cake for tonight. Will post this now and add the mushroom pasta this afternoon, mkay?

Superficial and Random

I WANT long hair!!!!!! I do NOT WANT to pay like, $2K for extensions. So, who has ideas? Any of you take any special vitamins while trying to grow your hair out? Special shampoos and/or treatments? How did you survive the supremely annoying and miserable growing out process?

This will probably be the biggest failure of a project in the history of hair projects. My thin, fine half-curly, half-straight hair probably has no business being long.

It is now appropriate to wear black to weddings, no? I need to know. I have a wedding to attend very soon and am planning on wearing my favorite dress again. (and if I don't wear that one, then I want this one or this one!) There is that small southern voice in me, though, saying "you can't wear black to a wedding, MaryB." Opinions, please. Black - okay or not okay. Dresses - which one? Wear the old one and get some really hot shoes or get a new one?

If I do wear that dress...do I wear black shoes? Is that too boring? What if I take a BRIGHT fuchsia satin clutch? (it is so very cute) Then what? I need accessory help.

Living In the Past

I'd love to blog, y'all, but you see I found a big, forgotten box while reorganizing the garage. It is full of all the letters (and you can't imagine how MANY we wrote back then!) Rich wrote to me way back when. And letters from el-e-e. And PHOTOS. OMG! The photos! You would not believe them. I'm glad I found it because I thought all of this stuff was lost. This would not be a ridiculous assumption for someone who has moved 9 times in 13 years.

If you need me, I'll be on my bed with tissues weepily reading letters from the past. Somebody bring me some chocolate, please.

Tuesday Trading

This salad dressing is from the junior league in my hometown. every girl I know from P-cola has made and eaten this spinach salad a hundred times (or for me like 8,000). It is a little different than any other spinach salad dressing I have ever seen anywhere else, and it is one of my top three most requested recipes. My girls in Japan dubbed it "the pink dressing," and they expect it whenever they visit me. So, I give you ...

Pensacola's Pink Spinach Salad Dressing

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use extra-light olive - EVOO too fruity for this one!)
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons sour cream (reduced fat or fat-free okay)
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp dry mustard (to taste - i tend towards the scant 1 tsp)
2 tablespoons sugar (or 3-4 packets splenda)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp freshly chopped parsley
2 cloves minced or smashed/pressed garlic

Mix it all up! I like to whisk in the oil last to see if I can get a good emulsification working! Let flavors marry for at least 4 hours (the recipe says 6hrs, but I don't always plan THAT far ahead!)
Serve over spinach salad with chopped boiled egg, crumbled crisp bacon, sliced fresh mushrooms, and sliced green onions (I leave these out because I despise them).

Okay, since you asked.... **Edited to add 2 most embarrassing moments of the evening

I was not going to bore you with stories from "apple land," but some of you ASKED about it. AND some of you might need to plan your own events one day. So, here's the scoop. Everything was red and white gingham. The centerpieces were overflowing baskets of apples tied with gingham ribbon. The kids decorated their own paper apples that will later be transferred to a big bulletin board in the front hall of the school along with pictures from the dance. (the pictures do not look as cute as it did irl. AND I look awful because I was 1. EXHAUSTED and 2. had non-contagious allergen/viral pink eye!)

As you entered the building...we blocked off the first entrance to the gym with a "picture spot" made with apple trees made by sparkly, beaded apple sin ficus topiaries, potted flowers, apple garland, etc. there were also five apples to put your face in...so cute.


As you proceeded down the hallway to the entrance there were more than a hundred apples lining the walls. We sent home paper apples to the parents and had them secretly send them back to school. Then, the kids "found" their apples at the dance to see all the beautiful things their parents said about them. This one about the "fanny dance" was one of my favorites.




Then, inside the "foyer" we had snacks and crafts. The snacks were apple "nachos." the "chips" were apple slices and the "cheese" was caramel sauce (all served in a nacho tray of course). We had also planned to have little cups of green jelly beans to be the "jalapenos," but those didn't get purchased in time...We also had the popcorn machine running and lemonade. (probably should've been apple cider, eh?)





The kids danced the night away and these are two very, very very, tired girls. They need a nap and a long lunch at Bistro Louise followed by pedicures. (meet the illustrious Jennifer...) You know, WHAT was I thinking taking a picure with a girl 8 years my junior when I hadn't slept and HAD PINK EYE???? I didnt even have on real make-up...scared to irritate my eyes.

**Two most embarrassing moments of the evening:

1. I was busy refilling lemonade and realized that I was singing - I knew every single word to Miley Cyrus's 7 Things! Huh? How? I'm not 13!

2. Jennifer and I somehow ended up dancing the Macarena with the kids. I overheard a dad whisper, "OMG! What would it be like if those two WERE drinking?"

It's Tuesday, and That Means It Is Recipe Time

Well, I did not know what I wanted to "trade" today, but sometimes it pays to be late to the party because then several people go and unknowingly create a "theme" for me! Apparently, the theme is desserts, predominantly of the cake variety. Further, seeing as I am currently drowning in apple craziness (see post below) this particular cake seems to suit the occasion. And, it is pretty darn yummy and perfect for fall. If you know me well, then you know that, for me, Fall arrives as soon as it is Honeycrisp time at Central Market.

Autumn Apple Cake

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour 11/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda 3 cups peeled, cored, chopped apples (about 2 1/2 apples)
1/2 tsp salt 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional!)
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

PreHeat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. until pale.
Mix in flour mixture one third at a time. (Batter will be very thick!)
Mix in apples (and nuts if you want them)
Into the pan, smooth the top.
Bake for 55 min (check on it early, Ive had it be done at around 45 minutes before)
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter (Ive used salted - it was fine!)
1/3 cup milk

Bring all ingredients to a rapid boil in a small saucepan. Let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep stirring (kind of vigorously) until all bubbles are gone. Spoon over cake.

And just to be over-the-top decadent, I serve each slice with a bit of caramel sauce! (oh, and to be technical, a sauce is not REALLLLY a caramel sauce if it is made with brown sugar. Technically you have to brown white sugar to create caramel sauce. A sauce using brown sugar such as this one is really a butterscotch sauce...just trivia for you)

Caramel Sauce:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream

Melt butter, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring with whisk. Remove from heat. whisk in cream and vanilla.
You wont use all of this sauce. you can keep it in the fridge to put on ice-cream, pound cake, or whatever. Soften it from the fridge either in the microwave, or set container in warm water.

AAWWWW, You Guys...You're the Best!

You guys....you are the best, really you are. It brought a literal mist to my eyes to get all the phone calls, email, and comments inquiring as to my whereabouts and well-being!

Unfortunately, I am still not really in the state-of-mind to blog. Just in a plain ol', old-fashioned funk. I have tried to work through said funk by writing about it, but it is so vague that there is nothing TO write. I just can't put my finger on what is causing it! Basically, it is everything and also nothing. Have you ever felt like that? I'm sure you have.

Also, I am short on time lately. Holy Hell! the PTO owns me. Maybe it is because the somewhat OCD part of me takes over and "good enough" is NEVER enough for me. And there is just ALWAYS another event to plan or group to organize or spreadsheet to create. Currently, I am entrenched in planning a Johnny Appleseed back-to-school family dance. The details, while interesting and adorable to me, would bore you to tears.

Lastly, the traveling husband has been home more than is typical lately. It has been nice, but he requires my time when he is here - hence, less time for blogging. (And Ill tell you a secret...I must be accustomed to his being gone so often, because he was starting to drive me Ca-razy and I was not too very sad to see him depart for a few days this morning!)

I'm still keeping up with all of you and your more-interesting-than-mine lives though! so, even if I'm not actually writing here, Ill at least try to be better about commenting. It just seems to require SO much energy...ugh, see what I mean? I am in such a funk that I think it takes too much energy to comment! WTH?

Oh, and, tonight is the first night that I've had to wait up for my suddenly-a-teenager to come home. He went to the high school football game with his friends and his friends' older siblings. I guess this is where IT starts!!!!!! EECK! Wasn't it just five minutes ago that I was tying green and gold ribbons onto my ponytail before a high school football game on a Friday night?