Chocolate Chip Torte

 Why this is called a torte puzzles me...wish I would have asked the dear lady that gave me the recipe many years ago.  Dorothy Somers and her husband attended the same church that our family did.  She shared this recipe, among many others, that I treasure since her passing several years ago.

 I was reluctant to try this recipe until she provided us with a sample...it became a favorite then and there!

 The "secret" she said was the use of dates!

Chocolate Chip Torte

1 cup diced dates

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon soda

Pour soda over the dates in a bowl and then add HOT water.  Allow to stand while preparing the following:

Sift together:

1  1/3 cup flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

1 cup  sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

To the creamed mixture add the dry and date mixture alternately (beginning and ending with dry ingredients).  Mix until well blended and then stir in:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cups chopped nuts

Grease a 9" x 13" pan and flour the bottom

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes

Dorothy was quite a lady, she came off quite gruff as many youngsters thought but she and her husband never had children so she had little tolerance for noise in church.  One particular Sunday morning one of our girls made a little noise and Ben took her our of church...that was a big mistake as far as Dorothy was concerned...she scolded Ben and said those two girls of yours are always good and you don't take them out again! 

Dorothy was so kind hearted and she is missed by those of us that were blessed to call her a special friend!  

 

 

 

  

Scotcheroo's - Original Name

The original recipe, via Jan Petteys, called for butterscotch chips...hence the name!

On a whim, I decided peanut butter would be a tasty addition for the topping instead of butterscotch...and the result was family approved!

I have many recipes in my arsenal from Jan, she is one fine cook and a great friend!

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 bag chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine sugar and syrup in a large saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until completely blended. Press mixture into buttered 9 x 13 pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter , stir until well blended. Immediately pour on top of cereal mixture.

Enjoy!

Easter Dinner Grand Finale'

Getting a good photo of the grand finale' proved to be quite difficult to say the least. This taste treat started with a chocolate cake made in a springform pan then cooled completely. Then I melted chocolate and spread on a long piece of waxed paper that was doubled (trying to make it the same size as the circumference of the cake-lenghthwise). I attempted to scallop the edges but found that I needed some practice. This strip was allowed to set up a bit and while it was on the counter I started making the chocolate mousse mixture. The mousse mixture needed to cool to room temperature. Then I placed the chocolate edging on the cake, leaving the waxed paper attached until serving time. I didn't calculate the heighth of the cake correctly so the chocolate edging is too high. Very carefully I placed the mousse inside the chocolate edging, on top of the cake. Then that went in the fridge while I busied myself melting more chocolate and on a waxed paper lined large cookie sheet I drizzled very thin "pieces" of chocolate first this way and then that way...this was my future birds nest. That was allowed to set up until serving time. With dinner over the masterpiece was on my mind...I made some whipped cream and placed on top of the mousse layer and then placed a Peep in the middle of the mound of whipped cream. I placed Robin's Eggs around the Peep and then started taking the "twigs" off the waxed paper and placing them all around the cream, making a fun little nest. I would like to make this again, perfecting it a bit the next time around!

May I mention that my husband purchased a Wilton Chocolate Pro (melting pot) for me and believe me it is worth the money. Actually he picked it up at Jo-Ann's for less than twenty dollars.

Wednesday evening dinner

Another windy and cold day in Michigan so a hearty dinner seemed to be the ticket this evening. After perusing a few magazines for ideas, I decided to try a couple of recipes from Kraft www.kraftfoods.com/foodandfamily

Since my husband doesn't care for tuna noodle casserole, I decided to add corn rather than peas, and instead of milk I used evaporated milk, and to top off the dish I used crushed potato chips. A little garnish of parsley and baby tomatoes added to the interest of the dish.

The asparagus recipe came from Kraft and you just fry three slices of bacon and drain on paper towel, crumble and set aside. Discard all drippings but don't wash pan. Meanwhile, cook one pound of asparagus until crisp/tender. Add about 1/3 cup chopped onions to saute pan and cool until tender, remove from heat and add 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing. Plate asparagus and pour sauce over and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.

A little fruit gave the plate more color and it is healthy you know!

Peanut butter cheesecake brownies were the grand finale. Again, this recipe is from Kraft Foods and it calls for brownie mix, how easy is that? A cream cheese and peanut butter mixture is spooned on top of batter in each "cupcake". As you can see I topped the brownie with cool whip, mint, maraschino cherry, and chocolate sauce.

This blogging could put on some pounds...maybe I should stick to crafting!