New Desserts....

So apparently, I haven't been making fancy enough desserts at work....

I asked: "What do you want me to make?"

Pseudochef's answer "I don't know... something 'fancy'."

"OK... such as...?" 

He shrugs. "Something I can't get anywhere else. I can get brownies and cake at Walmart"

Black Cocoa Brownie

I flinch because my stuff doesn't really taste like it came from Walmart or a Sysco freezer truck. I know exactly what goes into it. I use the best stuff I can get my hands on (AKA the best stuff I can talk the powers that be into buying). 

That kind of hurt. I mean, I'm not a pastry diva. I know there are others out there who make better, nicer looking stuff... but my stuff wouldn't be found on the shelf of a Megamart!

I've made tartelette de fruits, several varieties of very lovely cheesecakes, and creme brulee. Just to name some things from the top of my head, but none of this is good enough. 

Fruity Cake

So I pose the question again:

"What do you want me to make?"

Pseudochef's answer "I don't know... something 'fancy'.... something French!"

Hmm... well ok... that clears it up!  Then, he decides he's going to "show me" how to make something fancy.... Dear LORD in heaven, Help me! (No, I am not using my Lord's name in vain... that was an honest prayer/cry for help)

He proceeds his lesson, I ask him "What are you making?" and he says "Mango Custard."

I must tell you there were no mangoes in the building. While he's "teaching" me, I go about my business and manage to make my Creme Brulee and 2 cakes.... He starts out with 10 "Mango Custards".... Then he places them in a  bain marie.... a very full one.... On top of the stove and starts to boil the hell out of it.... I go to clean up my station, and he's started to make meringue.... 10 egg whites, 4,5,6? cups of sugar? We don't know cuz Pseudo doesn't measure.... (Another prayer....)  I look in my mixer and see nice grainy egg whites that have been beat to hell......

"Do you know what's wrong with my meringue? Can you fix it?" Pseudo asks....

"I thought you were supposed to be teaching me?"

I decide it's time to call it quits. I'm going home before I stick someone with my chef knife.... I finish cleaning my station and his mess.... oh, and now there's only 3 "Mango Custards" boiling away on the stove....

No Such Thing As Too Much Chocolate

I've said that my whole life. I like chocolate on top of chocolate with chocolate sprinkles. Just saying, I LOVE CHOCOLATE. 

(I better apologize to all chocolate lovers here at the beginning, and tell you this is actually a horror story...)

Several years ago in Seattle at The Chocolate Box, I ordered a drinking chocolate, and was greeted with this cute little 4 oz. espresso-sized cup. 

As it turns out, that was the perfect amount. Although, I must admit, I really wanted more. It was like drinking melted chocolate.(...Something I've always wanted to do....)


Flash forward to a few weeks ago, and I was in Chocolate Heaven! My first trip to San Francisco, CA. I never knew what a chocolate lovers haven it was. Of course I had heard of Ghirardelli Square,

 but  I actually saw Chocolate Heaven!

The Chocolate Store

I ate chocolate covered confections in Chinatown:

and many advertisements blatantly enticed me to eat more chocolate:

Important Info for Insomniacs like Myself!

It was a cool, rainy day. Munching on free chocolate samples at Ghirardelli Square, we decided to order hot chocolate from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Caffe. They have a few choices. My husband chose the **NEW** Lombard Street Hot Chocolate. They give you a cup of hot milk, and four Ghirardelli Truffle Squares to stir in yourself.

 It's interactive!

But I saw on the menu: DRINKING CHOCOLATE. Of course I ordered it. The kid behind the counter tried to talk me out of it. He explained it's much thicker and richer than any of the other hot chocolate choices. My eyes lit up.... I nearly ordered two as he explained the liquid confection. Oh and it comes with a biscotti..... Yay! 

He handed me the warm cup. It's smell intoxicating, it looked like melted chocolate. A non-chocolate biscotti? What kind of treachery is this?  Whatever, I don't really need that silly thing anyway do I? I took a first sip, and it reminded me of the European Drinking Chocolate I had had in Seattle years ago. Only this was no silly little 4 ounce cup; this was eight ounces of molten heaven....

A couple of sips and I thought, "What the heck?" I unwrapped that sad little chocolate-less biscotti and I dipped it in the cup. The cookie emerged with a coating of chocolate. 


"WOW!"  That's why they gave it to me.... I crunched into it.  My hubby made some comment about how I'd probably had enough chocolate for the day by now surely? So to be the smart-alec that I am, I reached for the cocoa powder sprinkle that was there for the coffee bunch and sprinkled some in. "There's NO SUCH THING as enough chocolate!" I declared. 

Kid in a candy store-- Literally!  A few more sips, and I could really see how thick the chocolate was. It was clinging to the cup even while hot! 

OK, this is where the story goes awry. Remember, I told you I had been eating free chocolate samples? Not only that, but I had been eating all day. I look over and hubby is done and ready to move on to the next tourist spot. No problem, that's why I have a good ol' American paper, to go cup. I'm only a little more than half way done with my liquid heaven. 


So we move along. Remember I tell you that it was a cold day? A few minutes outside and my liquid chocolate is getting cold and thicker. It becomes incredibly difficult to drink. :( 




I actually said **GULP*** (Dare I admit this?) 


"This is too much, I can't finish it." o.O


and about a quarter of this wonderment went into a trash bin near the bus stop. 


Don't worry, I recovered quite quickly. On our layover in Las Vegas I made an Ethel M. stop. 

Black Cocoa Brownies....

Black Cocoa Brownies.... Mmmm

I got this recipe from Cooking Club Magazine. 

2 TBSP Sugar

1 c. unsalted BUTTER, softened (no, you cannot use margarine, PUT IT DOWN!) 

1 c. packed, dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1.5 cups AP Flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/3 c.  dutch-process cocoa

1/3 c. black cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1.5 c. semisweet chocolate chunks

Heat Oven to 350.  Spray a 9x9 pan with Pam. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp. sugar to coat the pan. 

Beat butter and brown sugar to light and fluffy.  Add eggs one and a time. Add in vanilla.

Whisk flour, cocoas, soda and salt together. Add to butter mixture and stir just until blended. Add in semisweet chocolate chunks. .

Bake 12-15 min. 

You must make this! 

If you can't find black cocoa, you can order it online from King Arthur Flour.

Black Cocoa Brownie the Next Day

These stayed moist for several days at room temp. in a sealed container. They were cakey, not fudgy brownies.  If you are like me and think all brownies should be of the fudgy variety just tell yourself it's cake ;) 

Black Brownie, All Dressed Up

Sweet Potato Rolls

Sweet Potato Rolls

Makes 24 (2.5 oz) Rolls, so you may want to half the recipe!

Sweet Potato Rolls

2 TBSP instant yeast
1/2 c. sugar
6 to 8 cups all-purpose flour
1 c. mashed sweet potato
1 c. warm water
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten

I use a stand mixer, but I suppose you can do this by hand or in your bread machine on the dough cycle. Place all ingredients in the bowl of the mixer (use only 6 cups flour to begin). Mix well. add more flour as needed until it pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a bit more flour in if you need to. Until it's smooth. Shape into a ball and place in a big bowl that's been sprayed with Pam.  Turn dough ball to coat. Cover and Let rise until double (about an hour).
Punch down and divide into 24 rolls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise until double.
Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 min. or until golden brown.

Kae's Naughty Cranberry Sauce

Well, After searching the internet for a great cranberry sauce recipe and much study, this is what I came up with.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Kae's Naughty Cranberry Sauce

1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
2 pieces candied ginger, minced (1 Tbsp. of fresh grated ginger would be good, too)
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
2 oz. rum ;)  <--that's the naughty part!
Just enough water to cover (I used about 3/4 cup)

I put everything in a large sauce pot and cooked until the cranberries started popping. Then, I took out a little bit of the fruit. Used a stick blender to puree the rest. I left it kind of chunky, cuz that's what I like. I added the reserved fruit back in for more texture. Taste it. You may want to add another 1/4 c. or so of white sugar. Simmer until it's a bit thicker. Remember it will thicken as it cools.
This made about 3 cups.

Jack's Birthday Cake

It's official. I'm "one of those people"! Either 1) I have too much time on my hands or 2) I don't have a life...

Jack is 1 yr old today! 

Anyway, I made Jack a birthday cake. He said it was good. I'll take his word for it LOL.

It's Good!

I looked on a few websites for guidance on making "dog cake" and this is the recipe I came up with. Next year I think I will make half because it was too much for one little doggy!




I baked it in 2 (4 in.) pans at 350 for about 20 min.

Jack's Birthday Cake

1 c. Flour (All-purpose or Whole Wheat)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. canola oil
1 mashed banana
1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
1/3 c. of honey
1 egg

Mix all ingredients well. Bake at 350 until set and golden brown.
To make the frosting: mix together a bit of cream cheese and peanut butter.

P.S. Don't let your dog get the candle. No doggy brulée!!

Happy Birthday, Jack! 

Ice Cream for Your Diet

Ok, I don't remember which website I got this idea from... I jotted it down some time ago, and it's taken me this long to try it... I don't know why I didn't know about this sooner... YOU MUST TRY IT!!!

And yes, I know it's not really ice cream. But it's a cool, creamy, yummy dessert.

There's not an exact recipe, so even better if you aren't  a cook.
1) Take some bananas. Peel them and slice them thinly.
2) Line a cookie sheet or platter with plastic wrap and lay the banana slices on it in a single layer.
3) Freeze it.
4) dump frozen bananas into food processor. Pulse until it resembles ice cream.
5) Eat it and enjoy.
(The website said to eat immediately, but I saved some for JF to enjoy at luncheon so I will let you know how that turns out.)

It is very creamy and you won't miss the dairy, but why stop there?

There is no chocolate! 

I threw in a spoonful of nutella. You could add strawberries, peanut butter, hershey's syrup, some nuts, what ever you like that your diet allows you....Let your imagination go wild!


I hope you try it! Let me know if you do....

Banana Nutella "Ice Cream"