Happy Easter (and Passover)!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter (or are still having a lovely Passover, as the case may be). I enjoyed my three-day holiday weekend, but it's back to the grind tomorrow. So I'll just share a quick report on our Easter dinner. Let's begin with a colorful version one of my very favorite breads, an Easter egg challah. I thought this would be fun and festive--and it was--but truthfully, the bread itself was just "good" (I've made better), and I had a little trouble with the eggs. They shifted on top as they baked, the color ran on the top of the bread, and they got weird little speckles on them, too. Who knows why? Still, it was cute, and I would make it again, although I would probably swap it out with a different challah recipe.

Easter Egg Challah
(Source: www.bakingbites.com, adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braided-Easter-Egg-Bread/Detail.aspx)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk, warm, 110F (low-fat is fine)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, very soft
3 raw eggs, dyed (as above) if desired
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook or in a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast and milk and mix to combine. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure that the first one is well incorporated before you add the second. Add butter, but into small pieces, and beat until completely absorbed. Add remaining flour 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough pulls easily away from the side of the bowl. Knead dough lightly for about 3 minutes on a lightly floured surface until it is very elastic, then place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Gently deflate dough into a rectangle and divide it, lengthwise, into three equal pieces. Roll out until pieces are about 16-inches long. Braid together, tucking the ends underneath the loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet (I used a silpat) and cover with a clean dishtowel. Let rise for 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Place three raw, dyed eggs gently into dough and brush the loaf with the egg wash. Bake for 36-40 minutes, until rich golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Makes 1 loaf.

Then for our main course, we had a spectacular Easter ham. Instead of going down the spiral-sliced path of least resistance, I decided to get a regular (as AB would say, "city") ham (butt end) and glaze it myself. I used about a half a cup of apricot jam, half a cup of hot pepper jelly, a little jalapeno honey mustard, and the rest of that brown sugar syrup from the other night. It sounds like a weird, catch-all combination, but it was just delicious! My only mistake was miscalculating the cooking time. I was thinking that I only had to bring it to 140 degrees (like with a pre-baked ham), but it actually needed to go to 160. So our dinner was an hour later than I had planned--oh well, it was worth waiting for! I served the ham with some Potatoes Dauphinois, roasted asparagus with lemon, and of course, a thick slice of challah with a slathering of Irish butter. Yum, yum!

Then, for dessert, I chose to make a chocolate cake leavened only with egg whites, making it equally fitting for the Passover table. It was adapted from one of those rolled and filled numbers, but is much easier to make as a layer cake. Since it was just for me and the roommate, I decided to half the recipe and make a two-layer cake instead of four. And I baked them in eight-inch pans instead of nine-inch, to make the cake a little taller for a more substantial-looking presentation. But of course, that added about ten minutes to the baking time on the layers. When you don't have to roll it, the cake is super-simple to make. The worst of the job is just having to rewash your mixing bowl several times for the batter, then the egg whites, then the whipped cream. And the flavor is deep and chocolately--especially if you use coffee instead of water with the melted chocolate--rather reminiscent of the beloved Chocolate Icebox Cake. I highly recommend this recipe even when it's not a special holiday.

Lighter-Than-Air Chocolate Cake
(Source: www.smittenkitchen.com, adapted from a 1975 New York Times article)

For (2) cake layers:
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
3 tablespoons water (or strong brewed coffee)
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar, divided
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

For filling:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier* (or a teaspoon of vanilla--I used vanilla bean paste)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Melt chocolate with water (or coffee) in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.

Beat yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Fold in melted chocolate until blended. Beat whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Spread batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake until puffed and top is dry to the touch, about 30 minutes, rotating cakes halfway to ensure they bake evenly. Transfer pans to racks until cool, and then if necessary, loosen edges with a knife. Sift cocoa powder over top of cake layers and place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the pans. Place a baking sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. Place layers in the freezer for about an hour, until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking. (Personally, I skipped the freezing step and had no breakage to speak of.)

Beat cream with powdered sugar and Grand Marnier or vanilla with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. Bring first cake layer out of the freezer and arrange on platter, cocoa side down. Spread one half of the filling evenly over the cake. Bring the next cake layer out of the freezer, placing it gently over the filling, again cocoa side down and spread with the remaning filling.

Keep cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. Two hours should be more than enough to assure that the layers are no longer frozen. Dark chocolate grated into curls with a vegetable peeler makes for an excellent garnish (although I just used some grated chocolate that I had left over from a previous project).

* You can substitute the following for Grand Marnier: 2 tablespoons cognac and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; 2 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; or 2 teaspoons instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules dissolved in 2 teaspoons water plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

"But monsieur, it is only WAFER thin!"

I'm still trolling my Magnolia and Buttercup Bakery cookbooks for fun treats to make. Their famous cupcakes didn't do much for me, but I figured that there would be something that would float my boat, and I found just the thing! Let me preface this by saying that I am amazed that these bakeries in NYC have people lined up around the block to buy desserts for tip-top dollar that are just the simplest and homiest recipes that one could imagine. In fact, this one is the cheatin'est of all cheater recipes. This is the grandpappy of all sham cookery! This one would make Sandra Lee wet herself with excitement. There is no baking or cooking of any kind required to make this "cake." It is merely assembly of cookies and whipped cream. In fact, I was thinking that this would be an excellent cake to make with kids, if you have any of those grubby little snifflers underfoot. You can even simplify it further by making the cake with Cool Whip, but I strongly advise against it. I mean, come on! You can't even whip up some proper cream? It's the only real food preparation that you have to do! Jeesh!

Now some people remember this dessert fondly from their childhood, although it was usually in a log shape. My mom never made this one at all. Banana nut bread was her game. But what's not to like? It's whipped cream and Oreos, basically...and who doesn't enjoy cookies n' creme? Moreover, it's a magic cake. It starts with crispy wafer cookies, but after it has been refrigerated for at least five hours or overnight, the cookies soften up and create the cake-like texture. Fun!

Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake
(adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar (I used vanilla sugar, and more like 4-5 tablespoons of it)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I added one additional teaspoon of vanilla bean paste)
2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies (I used about 1 1/2 packages of Nabisco Famous Wafer cookies...you know, the ones that are like thin, unfilled Oreos)
Unsweetened cocoa or chocolate shavings (I used the latter)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.

Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

TGIF/Spring Break Kickoff Potluck

Despite arriving home in the early afternoon due to my first ever migraine (wow--how do people live through those things?), I was down for the count, recuperating until about 5pm. When I finally arose and after I had consumed a medicinal portion of Haagen-Daz (tee-hee), I realized with horror that I still had to prepare something for a potluck the next evening at my dear friend June's house. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone (which is a terrible expression--why are people killing innocent little birdies with rocks?!) and make a double batch of something for dinner, perhaps a casserole that would hold well until the next day. I have been wanting to make a recipe that I saw on two of the blogs that I regularly read--Culinary in the Desert and then Randi at 2 Girls in the Kitchen made it, and that was enough of a recommendation for me to try it as well. The dish turned out quite delicious, although I made it with five-cheese tortelloni instead of orechiette, Emmenthal instead of Gruyere (although Gruyere might have been better, more flavorful--so I added some shredded parmesan to the top of my dish), and halved the amount of cayenne (that Joe likes stuff HOT!). The only thing that I might change when I make it next time--and there will definitely be a next time!--is to work some onion into it somehow. It's also undoubtedly better with fresh shrimp, but I only had frozen on hand. So I just thawed them under running water and did not cook them ahead of time. That is, I just sauteed the garlic in butter with the cayenne and then added the wine, leaving the shrimp out of it until I combined everything before baking. And it turned out well, though fresh shrimp is always preferred.

Creamy Gruyère and Shrimp Pasta
(Adapted from culinaryinthedesert.blogspot.com and Cooking Light)

8 ounces dry orecchiette (I used a nice five-cheese tortelloni instead)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
5 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese, divided (I used Emmenthal)
1 tablespoon butter
24 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used about a pound of medium frozen cooked shrimp which was plenty!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used 1/4 and it was almost too spicy for me..and I like spicy!)
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions - drain well when done.

Gradually whisk together flour, salt and milk. Pour into Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly thick, whisking constantly - about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 ounces of cheese.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic - cook just until the shrimp are beginning to turn opaque - about 1-2 minutes. Mix in wine and pepper - cook until the shrimp are almost done - about 1 minute. Toss together the pasta, shrimp mixture, and peas into the cheese mixture until well coated.

Scoop mixture into a 9 x 13" baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Scatter the top with the remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Bake until cheese melts and begins to brown - about 20 minutes.*

Makes about 6 servings (um, or four at my house!)

*For the potluck, I made the casserole up to the point of baking it last night, then covered and refrigerated the dish overnight. Then I will bake it off at June's house later this evening. I suspect it might take upwards of a half hour or more from the cold state, but I will report back to confirm that. (Follow-up: It did take longer to reheat, maybe even longer than 30 minutes. I would guess 40? Who knows! There was much merry-making in the kitchen, and I wasn't paying close attention. Plus, I was sharing the oven with Angela's yummy Fresco Chicken.)

As you can imagine, I was quite pleased with myself, having managed to make a fine casserole while still in the post-mortem stages of my migraine. But then I made the mistake of opening up my e-mail and reading that June had assigned me to make a dessert! Yikes! My first thought was to throw something simple together, like the Black Forest Tart that I read about on the Baking Sheet blog. But since I made those Oreo Truffles for Valentine's Day--not to mention two chocolate icebox cakes--I was completely out of chocolate cookies for the crust. Still, be assured that I will be making that tart at some point, because my people love sour cherries, and I have a jar of Morellos from Trader Joe's eyeballing me in the pantry!

So I needed a new vision that would only involve the items that I had on hand. (No way was I making a trip into town with my head still throbbing and the temperatures dropping to 20 below or some such ridiculous number!) Then I made a decision that was probably unwise considering my physical (and mental/emotional) state. I foolishly committed to make what is perhaps the most complicated, involved, time-consuming dessert on record, second only to laminated doughs and croquembouches! But I had been wanting to try it for so long, that I screwed my courage to the sticking place and jumped right in. Some six or seven hours later, and behold (below) the fruits of my labors: the divine SWEET AND SALTY CAKE!

I caught sight of this bad boy on Martha awhile back. The pastry chef was from a bakery called, aptly enough, Baked in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. It was on my list to get down there during our last NYC adventure, but you may recall what a debacle that was, so we didn't make it. Then again, I don't have $46 to spend on an 8-inch cake (or if you prefer, $56 for a 10-inch or $72 for a 12-inch--WHOA!). I probably could have scraped up four bucks for a sampler slice, which would have been nice to be able to compare, but oh well. Come to think of it, the money may have been well spent, considering how much effort I had to put into making this thing at home! The cake layers themselves took me 45 minutes to get in the pan (is 14-plus minutes of beating really necessary??), though they baked up beautifully, turned right out of the pan, and they were pretty much level so that I didn't even have to trim them up. And I must confess that I overcooked the first batch of salted caramel (turned my back on it for two seconds...learn from my mistake!), so I had to redo that. Then you have to make a second, unsalted caramel to add to the ganache for the frosting. And there was a lot of chilling time during assembly. The recipe doesn't call for it, but when the salted caramel started to drip down the sides of the cake and/or the frosting started to squish out, I just popped the layer that I was working on out on the porch for a minute or two (it was -17 out there when I checked the temp at one point!) to firm it up before continuing with assembly. Plus, I'm just a slow froster in general because I hate it. There...I said it. This is why I could never have a cake business.

Nevertheless, I must say, it turned out GORGEOUS! Just look at the thing! Isn't it amazing?? I even tried to make it look similar to how they do it at Baked (check it out at their website under menu, and then cakes and juniors, and then Sweet and Salty Cake--and look at all of the other wonderfully whimsical cakes they make there while you're at it). Now, I don't know how the finished product tastes once it's all put together, though I did sample each part as I went along (=DIVINE!). But I suspect, like with the Trashy Toffee, that people are going to need an intervention and/or a 12-step program to break this habit. Then again, it's not the kind of cake that one would make very often, so we might be okay. Actually, come to think of it, you could certainly bake the layers ahead of time and make the salted caramel in advance, too--those two things alone would really speed the process along. In any case, I will post a follow-up after we try the cake tonight. In the meantime, I invite you to bask in the beauty of it! ;-)

(Follow-up: The cake was delicious, and it sliced and served up so beautifully. It was definitely worth all the effort!)


















Sweet and Salty Cake
(http://www.marthastewart.com/)

Makes one 8-inch 3-layer cake

3/4 cup cocoa powder (try to use a fine quality of cocoa--it's so worth it! I used some Scharffen Berger)
2/3 cup sour cream
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter-flavored Crisco)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar (I used light)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup Caramel with Salt (recipe follows)
Whipped Caramel Ganache Icing (recipe follows)
Fleur de sel, for garnish (I was out of Fleur de Sel, so I used Hawaiian red salt--gotta love Trader Joe's!)

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line each pan with a parchment paper round, butter parchment paper and flour; set aside. (I used a floured baking spray and parchment rounds.)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, 1 1/4 cups hot water, and sour cream; set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.
3. In another large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth and it appears to create strings inside the bowl, about 7 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix again for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
5. Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18 to 24 minutes (mine took a little longer, about 30 minutes). Let cool completely.
6. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Using about 1/4 cup of the caramel, spread a thin layer on the cake, allowing some of the caramel to soak into the cake. Follow the caramel layer with a layer of about 1 cup of the ganache icing. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another layer of caramel followed by a layer of ganache icing. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining ganache icing. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Caramel with Salt
Makes enough for two to three 8-inch 3-layer cakes

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (I used fine sea salt instead)
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, mix together cream and salt. Bring cream to a boil and cook until salt has dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. When the caramel mixture has reached 350°, remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Carefully add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Whisk in sour cream. Cool, and store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Whipped Caramel Ganache Icing
Makes enough for one 8-inch 3-layer cake

1 pound dark chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chips, as is my way)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, softened but still cool

1. Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
2. In another small saucepan add cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. When the caramel mixture has reached 350°, remove from heat and allow to rest for 1 minute. Add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Let cool 5 minutes. Place chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and pour caramel sauce over chocolate. Let sit 1 minute before stirring from the center until chocolate is melted.
4. Attach bowl to electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Add butter and increase speed to medium-high until mixture is well combined, thickened, and slightly whipped, about 2 minutes.

Taking the chocolate icebox cake up a few notches...

I have been up to my eyeballs in pies and tarts featuring all of the season's best stone fruits and berries in any and all combinations. And they have been glorious to be sure. But sometimes, people need CHOCOLATE! I found a Martha recipe that was just the ticket. It's basically a twist on everyone's favorite chocolate icebox cake, but instead of whipped cream, you layer the chocolate cookies with a simple bittersweet chocolate mousse and mold it in a lined loaf pan. YUM!! It's quite easy to make (only five ingredients...actually, four plus a garnish!), and yet decadent and elegant enough to impress even the most discerning of dinner guests. I definitely recommend this one to the chocoholics among you.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Torte
(Source: Martha Stewart Living)
Serves 12 to 15

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65 percent cacao), chopped
3 cups heavy cream, divided
3 tablespoons sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
12 ounces crisp oval butter wafer cookies (20 total...I needed about 30 myself)
good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Make mousse: Put chocolate in a large bowl, and set aside. Heat 1 1/2 cups cream over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan until cream is steaming and small bubbles form on edges. Pour cream over chocolate. Stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool completely.

Put remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture, one third at a time.

Assemble torte: Line a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on sides. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) over bottom of pan to cover. Arrange 5 cookies (more like 7 1/2) on top in a single layer to cover, breaking them to fit as necessary. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) on top to cover; smooth into an even layer. Repeat process with remaining cookies and mousse until pan is full. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, and refrigerate torte until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Remove plastic wrap from surface. Invert torte onto a serving plate; unmold, using overhang to coax it out. Remove plastic wrap. Dust with cocoa.

The Valentine's Day "Blizzard" of '07

(The was the view from my front porch earlier today. The house is right on a very busy rural highway, and this was early in the day before the snow really started accumulating! Can you see the snowmobilers there at the four corners? Click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view.)

Well, this has been an odd day! I stayed up half the night making some 90-odd Oreo truffles for my colleagues at work as a Valentine's Day treat only to have school cancelled due to a huge Nor'easter snowstorm! On the one hand, this is nothing short of a nightmare, as Wednesday is the absolute worst day to miss. You see, I have two classes that are Monday-Wednesday only and one once-a-week night class on Wednesday. So it is going to be hideous trying to figure out how to get those classes caught up.

But that's the grown-up teacher in me talking. The kid in me was delighted to have a snow day! I woke up around 8am, heard the news that school was cancelled, and went right back to bed for a long winter's nap! When I arose much later, I decided that a special Valentine's Day meal was in order for dinner. First, Cyd helped me assemble an icebox cake, as she has been bugging me to make her another one since we polished off the first. This time, I tried to make it look like the version that I just saw in the display case at Billy's Bakery this weekend, with the edges of the cookies sticking out of the cake. And since I had leftover chocolate from the truffles, I topped it with both bittersweet and white chocolate shavings. Pretty, huh?

Then for dinner, I made the short ribs that Cyd has also been harrassing me about for weeks, and I served it over another of the Rossi pastas from my Christmas stash, the wild mushroom linguini. Scrumptious! And of course, we sopped up the delicious sauce with some of the amazing Pane Pugliese from Sullivan Street Bakery. I was worried that it may have gone stale, but after five minutes in a hot oven, it crisped right back up. The interior is tender and holey and stretchy and replete with a tangy, sourdough-like flavor. If there is a better bread on the planet, I haven't found it yet!

Well, however you dined this evening and whatever the menu, I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day, and that you enjoyed some romantic time with your special someone!

Oreo Truffles

16 oz. Oreo cookies
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups bittersweet (or semi-sweet or milk) chocolate, melted
1 cup white chocolate, melted (optional)

Crush Oreos in a food processor. Mix softened cream cheese for a minute or two in the bowl of a stand mixer until completely smooth. Add in the crushed cookies and mix thoroughly. Shape into small balls, about one teaspoon's worth apiece. Freeze for about an hour or until very firm (I just put mine on the roof of my car out in the garage at this time of year!). Melt the bittersweet chocolate, dip each cold truffle, and place on a lined sheet pan to firm up. Once set, drizzle with melted white chocolate as a contrast. Store the truffles in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 50, depending on size.

At least there was ice cream pie...

I wish I had something more exciting food-wise to report, gentle readers, but alas, we spent the better part of the day in town. I had lots of errands to run, mostly involving the procurement of animal feeds for all these creatures who have no jobs and yet expect me to continually provide free room and board! At least the chickens have eggs to offer, but what do these lazy dogs and cats do around here? Buncha scrubs, if you ask me! Anyway, we also took in a movie, or rather, it took us in for over three hours of a story that went absolutely nowhere! The movie was "Zodiac," and I strongly encourage you to save your money. Despite the fact that everyone and his brother is in the film, including my beloved Robert Downey, Jr., the whole premise is a long, fruitless search for a serial killer that lasts almost forty years, which is just how long the film seems to run! And there is zero payoff at the end, I assure you. Thumbs down, we say. After the film, we grabbed a bite to eat at the new Quizno's in the mall. Now I can readily give a thumbs up to their prime rib with mozzarella on garlic bread! Have them add some banana peppers, and the juicy, savory satisfaction will drive all memory of pointless, boring movies right out of your head! ;-)

So no real recipes to post about, although I am working on something special that I hope to share with you tomorrow, if all goes well. In the meantime, here is a quickie dessert that I threw together from leftover tidbits and tucked away in the freezer that really hit the spot when we got home tonight after all our running around. I made an ice cream pie starting with a pre-fab Oreo crust, a layer of salted caramel that was left over from the Sweet and Salty Cake, some toasted, buttered pecans left over from the crust for the Creamy Lemon Pecan Bars, some shaved chocolate left over from the Chocolate Icebox Cake, lots of Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream, of course, and topped with a generous slathering of my homemade fudge sauce. Yummy!

Lindsey's Luscious but Anna's Awesome!

Since I have been out of town and, thus, not cooking, I thought I might profile a new, up-and-coming guest chef for this posting. Do you remember me mentioning a regular reader named Anna awhile back? She is the daughter of a friend and a colleague at school, and she is an aspiring chef (at least this month anyway!). Anna's mom, Martie--whose maiden name was Martha Stewart, if you can believe--recently informed me that they made the wonderful chocolate icebox cake that I had posted about, and that the family just raved about it. They also sent me the cutest picture of young Anna, posing with her creation, and I wanted everyone to see. Isn't that great? I am so proud of her! :-)

Anna also sent me a gorgeous picture of herself posing with some fabulous-looking salsa. I was struck first by her beautiful blue eyes (click on the pic to enlarge it), but that salsa looked pretty good, too! So I asked her for the recipe, and I am pleased to share it with everyone, with Anna's permission, of course. Way to go, Anna...you're awesome! (Then again, what do you expect from the daughter of Martha Stewart? Tee hee.)


Anna's Awesome Salsa

3 cups of chopped tomatoes (Anna uses a combination of plum/Roma tomatoes and a few vine-ripened tomatoes)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 red or yellow pepper (like myself, Anna doesn't prefer green peppers!), chopped*
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
chopped basil (to taste)
chopped flat leaf parsley (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
dash of cumin

*Anna and I live in the North Country, the polar (pun intended) opposite of the Southwest with its fiery cuisine. Folks around here can be a bit timid when it comes to hot sauce and chiles. But when I make Anna's salsa, I might be inclined to throw in a jalapeno or two (seeded and chopped) or even a serrano pepper for even more kick. But use your own discretion as to the heat level, of course.